An Abundance of Love
by FireSyNNs
Summary: The first time Rumpelstiltskin saw true love was between Regina and the stable boy. He decides to try to bottle the power, but things don't go as planned and he ends up with a surprise. Emma finds that surprise soon after she's returned from the past. (eventual swanqueen) (No Frozen)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A long time ago, Rumpelstiltskin's castle:

Rumpelstiltskin was giddy with anticipation. He could almost taste his accomplishment. He felt like such a fool for not thinking of it sooner. He had scoffed and laughed away the notion of true love, it was merely a legend after all. He could see it in the eyes of his future student when she thought no one was looking, but he was always looking, always watching, always waiting. The way she looked at the stable boy, and the way she smiled at him, for him, the power of True Love practically radiated off her. He knew there was great power inside her waiting to be tapped, but he did not expect such pure magic from a heart destined to be black. A destiny he wrote for her, but destiny none the less.

Harnessing such power for himself could move up his plan. He just had to find a way to capture it.

A manic giggle escaped him as he lifted the strand of the girl's long dark hair between a pair of tweezers. He adjusted the magnifying glass above his desk to get a better look of the short one of the stable boy's. Slowly he brought down the long strand, giggling again when the stands touched and began to glow white. He let the long strand fully encircle the short one again and again until it reached its end. The pair glowed brighter and brighter with the strength of a hot sun. He had to look away. The white magic exploded into a pulse in every direction, passing right through him and his castle's walls.

He looked back at his work, and his work looked back at him. "Uh oh." He picked up the baby at arm's length to get it out of the way, but there was no more glowing magic and the only strands of hair were attached to the baby's head.

He made a baby!? He ran around in panic keeping the baby away from his body making noises he wasn't proud of but the baby seemed to find amusing. He wasn't trying to make a baby. He only needed the magic to bottle. He can't bottle a baby...well maybe... He stopped to look down at it (her, he noted).No, no it's not the same. He'll just have to do things differently next time he tried.

As for the baby...he couldn't give her to Regina. She was his future protégé and she couldn't be distracted from doing what he needed.

He brought the girl closer to his chest. She had the stable boy's blue eyes and dark chestnut hair, but everything else was Regina, her lips, and her nose, and her olive skin. She was not created the traditional way but she was born of love, that much he was sure of; love, pure magic, and a pulse of something that he didn't understand. He did not like not understanding. He had already been alive far too long on this earth to not know something.

He did not have time now to fret. He would deal with her later when it was necessary. He transported himself and the child into his underground vault of dangerous and mysterious things.

"So sorry dearie." He spoke to the baby as he opened a cupboard. "This will keep you still until I know what you are." He booped her nose with a finger. "Maybe you'll meet your mommy someday." He giggled. "Oh, she'll need you by the time I'm through with her." He placed her inside the cupboard. "Now don't worry, for you the dark will only be the blink of an eye." He kissed the top of her head. "Night, night."

She watched him as he closed the doors, taking away the light until she was engulfed in cold darkness.

Present, Storybrooke Maine:

Emma went back to the scene of the crime after the whole Marian debacle, and the yelling match with Regina outside of Granny's. In-between the name calling Regina did make a good point about bringing back other things from the past; they were in the Dark One's magic vault with a vacuum of a portal after all.

The barn was a mess. If Regina ever spoke to her again she'd ask about magic lessons to do chores. Until then Emma was stuck doing things the old fashioned way. She grabbed a shovel and started filling in the carved magic summoning thingy in the ground before it could cause any more trouble. It was kind of therapeutic if she imagined burying her son's mother alive. She would dig her out of course, but only after Regina stopped being mad at her. It could be therapeutic for both of them really.

Emma began a coughing fit when she threw a shovel of dirt a little too aggressively and generated a cloud of dirt. In her hurry to get away from it she tripped over the shovel and face first into a pile of dirt.

"Seriously!?" She grumbled as she pushed herself up. She dusted herself off as best she could with her hands only to remake the dust cloud and begin a new coughing fit. "Ugh." She grunted when she got herself under control.

A childish giggling stopped her in place.

"Hello?" She scanned the room with her eyes. A tiny gasp sounded from behind her. She turned around slowly trying not to startle whatever was there or put off her own death, she figured her life could go any way at this point.

A tiny head ducked behind a barrel as soon as it entered her vision, maybe not death then.

"Hey." She softened her voice. "You can come out, I won't hurt you." A hand poked out from the side, followed by the head. A little girl, Emma smiled, she was adorable. "It's okay, come here." She crouched down and reached out a hand. Emma had never seen someone move so slowly before.

The little girl was obviously scared, but the curiosity in her won out and she reached out to Emma. The little brunette ignored Emma's hand and touched her hair. "You're pretty." She smiled shyly ducking her head. "You have hair like a princess. Are you a princess?"

"Well…only technically."

The little girl's eyes grew wide.

Emma chuckled at the girl's wonder. She returned the gesture and touched the girl's dark chestnut hair. It was soft and just long enough to reach her shoulders. "You're pretty too. Are you a princess?"

"No, you're silly." She smiled wide up at her.

"That's Princess Silly to you." She joked a little to stern apparently.

The girl gasped and brought her arms to her side and stared a hole into the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Hey." She lifted the little brunette's chin with a finger. "I'm just kidding. I'm Emma, what's your name?"

"Sarahbella."

"And how old are you Sarahbella?"

"Three!" She shoved two fingers into Emma's face, a proud smile on her own. Emma took Sarahbella's hand and helped her put the third finger up. The girl stared at the third finger, but then stuck it into Emma's face again with an even bigger smile. The kid was so sweet Emma could almost see why the blind witch ate children. (Not really)

"Okay, so what is three year old Sarahbella doing out here all by herself?" Emma questioned.

"I dunno."

"Where are your parents?"

"No parents, just Uncle."

"What's his name?"

"Uncle."

Emma sighed. "What does he look like?"

"Umm," She thought for a moment. "Shiny."

"Okay, that's not helpful. How about we go into town and we'll see if we can find someone who knows where you live?"

The girl nodded her head severely. "Uncle will miss me."

Emma stood and took Sarahbella by the hand. The magic summoning symbol was instantly forgotten and replaced with a new mission of getting the little girl home.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom?" Henry called out as soon as he got through the mansion's front door. He wanted to come sooner, but Snow and David kept him back saying something about her needing space and time. Adults always think they know better, and sometimes they do, but he wasn't a little kid anymore and he understands his mother much more than he used to.

His mother didn't need to be alone, she had already spent too much of her life that way. She needed to know that she would never have to be alone again. No matter what happened between them in the past he loves her, and she will always have him.

He found her in her study siting on the couch, crossed ankles, straight back, glass of cider in one hand, and eyes staring into space. She almost seemed normal if not for the tear tracks under her red rimmed eyes.

"Mom?" He took careful steps gauging her reactions. "Mom?"

"Henry?" She snapped out of her thousand yard stare and quickly tried to wipe the evidence of pain from her face. "What are you doing here? You should be at the diner with everyone else."

"I was worried."

"Afraid I'd be cooking something up?" She plastered on a smile. "Perhaps something apple flavored?"

It was a façade. He cursed his younger self for not seeing it sooner. His mother was so hurt. He hurt her like this.

"I'm sorry." He looked at her earnestly, almost seeing her for the first time.

"For what, Henry?"

"Everything…We were happy once. Just you and me, but I ruined it. If I hadn't brought Emma—"

"The town would still be cursed, we would all be living a lie, and you would still be miserable."

"But you wouldn't be."

They just looked at each other for a moment, mother and son remembering all the good and the bad. Finally she put down her cider and took both his hands in hers. "You did the right thing. Don't ever let yourself think otherwise."

"But I took away your happy ending."

"The curse…It was supposed to be my happy ending, but I wasn't happy at all." She paused, face slightly contorting before she took a breath and continued. "Not until you came into my life, and I made myself forget who I really was, so that I could love you without the fear and the doubt that I wasn't good enough."

He rushed into his mother, wrapping his arms around her and fighting back the tears in his eyes. "Of course you're good enough."

"You made me better." She put a hand on his cheek when he finally let her go. "I spent far too long filled with hate and resentment. You showed me what it means to love again."

"Does that mean you love Robin?"

She sighed and held him against her chest, planting kisses all over his head. "Don't worry about that. You're the only man I need in my life."

"Mooom" He wiggled out of her hold. "Are you okay?"

"Of course"

He wasn't buying it and he leveled a look that let her know.

She sighed again. "I will be."

He settled back into her arms with his head against her chest. They stayed that way for a moment, content with just being together.

"Mom?"

"Hmm?" She hummed into his hair.

"Do you really think Emma is a conniving self-righteous fascist?"

His mother chuckled. "Heard that did you?"

"Yeah," He backed away to look her in the eyes, "and a lot of other things I'd probably be grounded for if I repeated."

"Indeed you would be." She smiled sadly. "Your mother excels at bringing out my words."

* * *

Emma ended up carrying Sarahbella when she realized the kid didn't have any shoes. The little girl wasn't dressed appropriately at all for the chill of Maine weather in nothing more than a long sleeved white night gown. She didn't complain about being cold, but the sheriff gave up her beanie and held the girl close for warmth anyway.

The diner was empty except for Ruby and Tinker Bell gossiping at the counter. Emma was unfortunate to catch the end of their conversation as she walked in.

"I'm pretty sure Snow is my soul mate, but that doesn't mean I want to jump her bones."

"But you would."

"Oh yeah, totally." Ruby grinned wolfishly.

"Please tell me you know more than one Snow."

"Emma!" Ruby's grin didn't falter. "Nope, sorry just the one. Who's your friend?" She gave the girl in Emma's arms a little wave, but Sarahbella was having none of that and ducked her face into Emma's neck.

"This is Sarabella, she's a little bit lost. Where is everyone?"

"Everyone scattered after your blow out with Regina." Tinker Bell informed her.

"Probably off preparing for when she goes all Evil Queen." Ruby added.

"Hey!"

"It's not all bad. Maybe it'll bring back the evil cleavage."

"Jesus, Ruby!" Emma covered the little girl's ears as best she could. "Keep it in your pants will you?"

"Yeah, sorry." She had the decency to look sheepish. "Wolf's time is tomorrow. It does things to me."

Tink raised an eyebrow and Emma narrowed her eyes. She was learning far too much about her friend in in too small a period of time.

She shook her head, refocusing. "Regina's not the evil queen anymore. We'll be fine."

"Do you really think she'll just let it go? Suffer in silence?"

"You don't even care that she's hurt do you?" Tinker Bell stood up from her stool. It didn't add much to the petit blonde's height to face Ruby, but it was the thought that counts. "She spent a year avoiding him, because she was too afraid to go after something that might make her happy, to have a second chance at love. Real love! A love she didn't even think she deserved! But she finally took that chance and finally, FINALLY after decades of loneliness, took a risk and opened her heart up to someone. But now that chance has been ripped away from her again."

"A man got his wife back, and a son got his mother. I'm sorry if I don't see that as a bad thing." Ruby shot back.

"It's not a bad thing! But maybe you could be a little more respectful of the woman who lost something in the process. And you!" She turned to Emma. "Not you, sweet heart." She soothed the little girl's fear when she looked up at her. "You were going to take Henry away like she isn't the person who raised him alone for the first ten years of his life. You were going to keep a mother from her son. A son she fought tooth and nail to be worthy of. A son she would die for. You were going to take him away like she doesn't even matter. You're an asshole, Emma Swan."

The so called savior opened and closed her mouth finding no words to refute the accusation. She was too caught up in her own feelings and wanting to run away to even think about how it would affect Henry's other mother. Regina had to let him go last year and she gave Emma memories that let her watch Henry grow up, she gave Henry memories that let him grow up with her, she gave them a chance to be happy even though the former queen knew she herself would be miserable and alone. Emma would be devastated if she had to be separated from him ever again. The fairy was right. Emma Swan is an asshole.

* * *

Regina had been only half-joking when she suggested they make Apple Turnovers, but Henry had simply given her a small wicked grin which in turn caused her to bloom one of her own. So now here they were, shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen counter, sporting matching aprons, applying the finishing touches onto more apple turnovers than they knew what to do with.

She smiled as she looked over to her little boy. The too small apron made it apparent that he wasn't quite so little anymore. They acquired the aprons when Henry was eight and was going through an I-want-to-be-a-chef-when-I-grow-up phase. She indulged him and got him an apron that read 'World's Cutest Chef', and he picked one out for her that said 'World's Greatest Mom'. She thought 'Luckiest Mom' was more appropriate, but Henry was adamant that it needed to say 'Greatest'.

"Because that's what you are." He had told her.

Her lips tugged up at the memory.

It would be nice to be a regular human being and have connections that weren't riled with betrayal, mistrust, and ambiguity, but then perhaps that might make her an entirely different person. But she is who she is, and if that meant that fate decrees to abolish any notion of love for her then so be it. The joke was on fate though, because she had her son, and he was more than enough. Her love for him was boundless and filled the spaces where the hate used to fester. If he was the only person in any world who could ever love her it would be okay. She would relish every moment with him. Moments like this.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

Regina let out a long sigh when she opened the door and saw who was on the other side. It was nice while it lasted. She didn't bother greeting the blonde. She just turned and walked back into the kitchen assuming the sheriff would follow.

"Your mother is here." She told him as she walked to the sink to get started on the dishes.

"Hey kid." Emma stopped in the doorway. "You made turnovers?" The Mayor let herself grin at the small squeak she heard in Emma's voice.

"Yup. Apple." The amusement was evident. Regina wondered if she should be concerned with her son's darkening sense of humor.

She turned away from the dishes to look at her son. "Henry, there are some Tupperware containers in the cupboard you can use to take the turnovers with you."

"Actually…" He looked between his mothers. "I was thinking I could stay here for a while."

Both his mothers' eyebrows went up to their hairlines. This was unexpected. Henry had been rather attentive since he arrived, but she did not dare to dream it would extend this far. Regina wondered if he felt responsible for her. If he thought she would fall apart without him. It was sweet (and possibly true), but it was far too much pressure to let him put himself under.

She dried her hands on her apron and turned her full attention on him. "It's not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want you to feel like you have to stay just to look after me."

"It's not that." He told her. "I mean…I do want to be here for you, but it's more than that." He joined her by the sink. "I missed you. I know I didn't remember, but as soon as I did I…I don't know. It just feels wrong that you weren't there. We have a lot of time to catch up on." Henry shouldn't have been surprised when Regina wrapped him up in her arms again, but he let out a small yelp before returning his mother's embrace.

"In that case, welcome home."

Unbeknownst to either Mills, Emma used her phone to snap a quick picture of the hugging duo. They were smiling at each other wearing matching aprons. She couldn't resist.

"My stuff is still here right?"

"Well yes, but I doubt any of your clothes still fit you."

"Oh." He frowned. "Yeah I guess that's true. I have some stuff at the apartment, but it's not much. We'll have to go back to New York and get the rest."

Regina visibly stiffened.

"Uh…Regina?" Emma rubbed a hand on the back of her neck trying to ease the twinge of resurfacing guilt. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

"I'm not interested in listening to another round of your excuses, Miss Swan." When Regina finally looked at her, an arched eyebrow rose in both parts confusion and curiosity at the sight of the toddler poking her head out from behind the Sheriff's legs. "Did you bring reinforcements?"

"What? Oh, right!" Emma encouraged the little brunette to come out from behind her and held on to one hand. "This is Sarahbella. Sarabella, this is my son Henry and his mother Regina."

"Hello." Henry greeted cheerfully, and a wide smile spread across Regina's face.

The little girl looked in-between the two new brunettes in her presence and then back at Emma. She cycled through the pattern a few times before finally looking up at Henry with eyes full of wonder. "You have two mommies!?"

"Yup." Henry answered easily and too quickly for either woman to interject. Not that there was anything else they could say without having to explain their complicated not quite family dynamic to the toddler, but even with that the answer was still, inevitably, yes.

"Yeah." Emma cleared her throat trying to rid herself of the implications that answer might bring. "So can we talk?" She asked Regina when she could muster the courage to look at her again.

Regina tore her eyes away from the smiling toddler to meet the blonde's. "I assume such a talk would yield answers as to why you have abducted a child?"

"Really? I show up with a kid and that's what you think?"

"You don't want to know what I really think."

"Mom." Henry warned.

"Sorry, dear."

At Henry's suggestion, the four sat down to turnovers and coffee/milk. Sarahbella only got half, and with some judgment from Regina, Emma got two and a half.

The treat softened the little girl's hesitance and the trio discovered she was full of questions. She wanted to know how the fire in the light shined so white, why her milk was cold and if the cow needed a blanket, a couple dozen questions about how the turnovers were made, and if Emma was a princess did that mean Henry was a prince. The most important question came next when she asked Regina if she was a princess too.

Regina had smiled fondly as she told her, "Of course not, dear. I am a Queen."

The little girl squeed.

Emma didn't even know that was a sound people actually made. She was pretty sure that was the moment Regina replaced her as Sarahbella's favorite adult.

Regina sent the kids off to wash up once they were finished with their snacks, leaving the two women alone to talk. The second turnover was mostly Emma's way of buying more time to think of what to say. As she put the last bite into her mouth she still didn't have a clue and contemplated scarfing down a third.

Regina graciously set down a refilled cup of coffee in front of the sheriff. She was still annoyed with the blonde, but that did not mean she could neglect her hostess duties.

"Well?" She sat down diagonal from Emma at the dining room table. "Are you going to try to convince me you aren't a child stealing monster?"

Emma sighed; the name calling had already begun. "We'll get to that. First, I wanted to apologize."

"You have already given me an apology, Miss Swan, and I have already told you where you can put it."

"And you're right."

"Oh?" Regina was pleasantly surprised.

"I won't apologize for saving Marian's life, but I am sorry that you got the raw end of the deal."

"I really don't want to have this conversation again."

"Just hear me out." Emma pleaded. She waited until Regina gave her a slight nod before continuing. "I don't know all the details, but I know losing Daniel really messed you up."

"Emma-" Regain warned.

"That came out wrong."

"You came out wrong."

"Very mature Madame Mayor."

"Are you done?" She hissed.

"I haven't even started." Emma responded with gritted teeth.

Regina sat back in her chair with her arms crossed against her middle. Emma almost expected to see a pout, but instead the stubborn and proud mayor raised her chin.

"Love is hard in normal circumstances, but sometimes… life gets in the way; or in your case a Charming." Emma was encouraged by the smile that Regina was fighting not to show. "I know that it's hard for you to let people in, and I don't really know what happened with the soul-mate thing, but if someone told me I was supposed to be with someone I'd probably run the other way too. You were really brave to take that chance and let him get to know the real you."

"He's a good man, it's a shame he now knows too much. I'm afraid I'll have to kill him." At Emma's dumbstruck expression Regina felt the need to clarify, "Joke."

Emma chuckled, but shook her head. "You're going to be the death of me."

"I'm quite certain it's the other way around." Regina snapped her jaw shut. She said more than she meant to. Emma's green eyes searched her own and the former queen had to look away from what she saw there. Empathy.

"I am sorry Regina. After everything… you deserve to be happy. I want you to be happy. Which brings me to the other half of my apology," Emma looked down at her hands wrapped around the mug in front of her. "I'm an ass."

"At last, the great Savior sees reason."

"Really though," She looked at the brunette earnestly. "I completely disregarded your feelings wanting to take Henry back to New York. I think I'd die if I ever lost him again, but it didn't even cross my mind that you might feel the same way. You're his mother, for god's sake, of course you'd feel that way. Maybe you were right when you called me a selfish idiot with bad genetics."

"Imbecile."

"That too."

"No, it was imbecile not…" Who was she to deny the blonde the extra insult? "Never mind, you were saying?"

"That I'm sorry. We were in a good place after Neverland. Hell, we were almost friends. I'd like to try to go back to the whole 'our son' thing. It was nice having back up."

"So you're done trying to take him from me?"

"I don't want to fight you Regina, not now or ever again. We're on the same team."

"Team Henry?"

"Team Henry's Moms."

The mayor unfolded her arms and let them rest on the table. "You'd lose anyway."

"We'll never know." Emma grinned. "Do you think you can forgive me?"

"We'll see." She deadpanned. "Now tell me about this child you claim to not have kidnapped."

The Sheriff hunched over and let her head fall onto the table. "You're impossible."


	3. Chapter 3

In the span of a week the whole town was acquainted with Sarahbella's story. Short of shoving the little girl in everybody's face and asking "is this your kid?" the sheriff and the mayor had done everything they could think of to find her family. Emma ran her name through the station's database, and Regina had it run through the hospital's. Both results came back empty. There was no record of a single Sarahbella in Storybrooke.

Nobody seemed to know her or ever seen her before. The girl in question was not familiar with the town. Everything was new and wondrous to her. She did not have the knowledge that would have been instilled if she had come to this realm with the curse and grown up here. They concluded that she must have come with the second wave. Emma spent three full days dragging around Sarabella, tracking down and interrogating the new residents. She found no answers.

The nuns and other townsfolk offered to take the toddler in until her family could be located, but Storybrooke still lacked any type of Social Services to tell Emma what to do. As sheriff, she took it upon herself to grant temporary custody to… herself. As mayor, Regina rolled her eyes but didn't protest.

The blonde and the little brunette spent the rest of the week chasing each other around the apartment having the time of their lives. They were constantly breaking out into a fit of giggles and then being lectured by Snow for waking Baby Neal. Snow introduced them to the quieter activities of arts and crafts. It worked out for a while until Emma decided to take a nap and Sarahbella discovered glue. She woke up to David's manic laughter and a paper unicorn horn pasted to her forehead thus initiating another game of chase. David didn't stop laughing until Snow kicked all three of them out for the rest of the day. They eventually groveled their way back in with food and promises of good behavior.

Monday morning rolled around, and with it came Emma's first official day back as Sheriff. She wasn't exactly thrilled about having to go back to work and be away from Sarahbella, but she felt good about being a productive member of society again. Her parents tried persuading her to take a longer break, but being on her own from such an early age gave her a sense of work ethic that made her nervous if she did nothing for too long. Emma would rest when she was retired. Or dead, whatever came first.

After one last longing look and a kiss to Sarahbella's still sleeping head, she managed to tear herself away. Stepping out of her bedroom, she was greeted with a war cry a newborn shouldn't have the lung capacity to carry. She closed the door behind her, not wanting to wake the sleeping girl. She found her mother in the kitchen almost as red-faced as the screeching bundle of joy in her arms.

"Emma! Thank goodness!" Snow handed her Baby Neal without warning. His screams increased as the Savior just stood there with him in her arms. "It helps if you bounce!" Snow called over her shoulder as she tested the temperature of a bottle's contents on her forearm.

Emma followed her mother's instructions and bounced her baby brother. It brought him down a few decibels, but she still felt a growing need to stuff her fingers in her ears. Silence finally befell the apartment when Snow gently coaxed the bottle into his mouth.

"Finally." Snow let out a long sigh of relief.

Emma was confused and a little bit worried. "Uh…Why didn't you just breast feed?"

Emma saw Snow's eyes weld with tears before her mother's face disappeared into her shoulder. "I'm so tired!" Snow practically sobbed. "I forgot!" Now she sobbed.

This was the woman who was supposed to babysit the three year old sleeping upstairs. Emma's confidence was waning. She knew her mother was more than capable of taking care of the toddler, but maybe just not this second. Not with Baby Neal requiring so much attention and draining their mother's already diminutive reserves. "Are you going to be okay today? I could probably get Ruby to babysit the kid."

"What?" Snow lifted her head and met her daughter's eyes. "We'll be fine. Sarahbella's an angel when you're not inciting her."

Emma pressed her lips together. She did have a point, but it wasn't the one she was worried about. "It's just you seem to have your hands full with this little guy already."

Snow took her son back from the blasphemous monster doubting her abilities. "I said we'll be fine. Plenty of people look after more than one child at the same time."

Emma stepped away finally free to grab her badge. "You're sure it's not too much?"

"Of course not. Go. Your father will be wondering where you are."

She still wasn't convinced, but the look her mother gave her told her she should keep such thoughts to herself. She took a hesitant step towards the door. "Call me if you need anything, or if it does turn out to be too much."

"It won't come to that."

The determination in her mother's face didn't do much to reassure her, but she resolved to trust her mother knew what she was getting herself into.

* * *

When she arrived at the sheriff's station her father was waiting for her with a hot cup of coffee, a bear claw, and a welcome back hug that would have crushed a lesser being. Unfortunately for Emma, Proud Papa Charming wasn't the only person to welcome her back.

She saw the file box sitting atop her desk as soon as she entered the office. She was about to call out to David and ask what it was, but the note on top made her curious enough to just find out for herself. In familiar impeccable penmanship it simply read _Sheriff Swan – Welcome Back._

Emma smiled. She had actually missed seeing this handwriting. They had developed a game early in Emma's career as sheriff, exchanging passive aggressive notes at any opportunity like they were in high school harboring a twisted sort of hate crush. The Sheriff escaladed the game during a board meeting passing notes to Her Mayorness when no one was looking. She had received a single one worded note in return. _Idiot._ Regina made sure not to sit next to her again.

"Son of a—" The blonde's smile was wiped off her face as she laid eyes on the note inside the box sitting on top of a pile of police reports. _I have made corrections, revise and refile a.s.a.p._ Corrections isn't the word Emma would use. The papers were covered in red. Some words out right crossed out and replaced with new ones. The reports had essentially been rewritten. No paper was better off than the next. The sea of red continued through the whole box, Emma estimated was three months' worth.

Emma got to spend her first few days back stuck behind her desk filing paper work for events she wasn't even around for. She had to wonder if the Mayor had been saving a backlog of paper work to drown her in when she got back, or if this was a special punishment she thought of to make Emma pay for her recent crimes. If this was Regina punishing her then the mayor was not only a former evil queen, she was an evil genius. The Sheriff plopped down into her chair and prepared the necessary papers to begin the revisions. She was already miserable.

By noon Emma couldn't look at another red letter. It was cruel and unusual punishment, and the sheriff was going to get Carpal Tunnel and not be able to shoot bad guys.

Emma knocked on the door to Regina's office, but didn't wait for an answer before waltzing in. The Mayor was seated behind her desk staring down at another report disdainfully with a red pen in hand. Her wrist flicked away as she corrected mistake after mistake.

"Seriously!?" Emma was outraged. The mayor was going to give herself Carpal Tunnel just to deal out punishments. It was ridiculous. "Enough with the reports! I get it. You hate me, but we could both be doing more productive things."

"Sheriff Swan," Regina looked up as and paused her pen. "You think I'm punishing you with paper work?"

"Well yeah! It's inhumane, and my wrist hurts." She let the whine show in her voice as she flop her hand around in front of her for emphasis.

"Have you bothered to read the words under my corrections? Your father's inability to form coherent sentences is an abomination." The brunette took the first report from a small stack of unmarked reports and shoved it towards Emma.

"Oh." The mayor wasn't kidding. The report was a hot mess of misspelled and misused words.

"Yes, oh. I've been waiting for a competent member of the sheriff's department to give the extra work to."

Emma's surprise registered on her face. A smile started to grace her lips, because the extra work meant Regina thought she was competent.

Regina tried to correct herself, "In lieu of that, I have decided to settle for you." But it was too late. Emma grinned anyway. It was an infectious smile. Regina had to fight back her own as she rolled her eyes. "Please inform your father that if he wishes to continue a career in law enforcement he must learn the basics of the English language, or at the very least begin typing his reports in a word processor with spell check."

"Sounds fair." Emma could see a pile of already corrected reports and a smaller pile yet to see red. If the report on top was anything to go by it was a miracle the mayor still had any ink. "I'll have him email them to me before I send you the final copies to approve. It should be my job anyway. Maybe we could make it protocol." Emma smiled again. "Save some trees."

"That would be adequate, thank you." Regina added the report in front of herself to the pile of finished ones.

Emma took it upon herself to add the pile of unmarked ones to the stack as well. "I'll take these with me then."

"Actually," Regina placed a hand on top of Emma's to stop her. "while you're here." She pulled her hand away to fish a new file from her desk. "I've made allocations in the budget to allow the hiring of an additional deputy."

Emma didn't mean to be so suspicious, but Regina was being nice and it was freaking her out a little. She eyed the file before finally taking it from the mayor who was growing Impatient. She looked it over and to her surprise found nothing else cut. She eyed the mayor. "Why?"

She narrowed her eyes at Emma as if she couldn't believe the audacity of such a question. "You're welcome." Emma didn't cease her suspicious gaze. Regina rolled her eyes again. "The Sheriff's department is this town's first line of defense. Excuse me if I don't want it overworked. But if you're comfortable with constant double shifts…"She reached a hand out expectantly.

Emma hugged the file to herself. "No, no! It's great, thank you. I guess I'm still getting used to us being on the same side."

"Very well. I do have the condition that you hire outside of the Charming bloodline."

Emma laughed. "I doubt my mother would be interested, but Henry just needs a few more years."

"Our son will never be a deputy, Miss Swan. He will be too busy being President." Regina finally let herself smile. When it came to their son there was no stopping the pride and affection from showing on her face.

Henry had a mother who genuinely believed he could grow up to be president. Emma smiled back as unexpected warmth started to fill her chest. The brunette had her flaws, but she had the kind of love for him the blonde wished he would have when she decided to give him up all those years ago.

Regina shook her head and ended the connection. "Do you know of any potential candidates?"

"I guess I could ask Mulan. She'd probably be into it." She shrugged.

"Mulan is in Storybrooke? _The_ Mulan?" The Mayor's face lit up with uncharacteristic excitement.

The blonde stared at her in bewilderment trying to assess the older woman's reaction. A grin played across her face as she put the pieces together. "Why Madame Mayor are you a fan?" Emma put a hand over her heart in mock shock.

Regina realized her mistake and reeled herself in, clearing her throat. "Henry is. He'll be delighted." She explained away.

"Really?" Emma remained skeptical.

"Yes."

"He didn't seem all that impressed when he met her last week."

The brunette's mouth turned to a frown. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"You are a fan!" The sheriff laughed out.

"I enjoyed the movies. She has a compelling story."… "Stop laughing at me, Miss Swan!"

"Okay, okay I'm sorry." Emma pulled herself together after she had to duck out of the way of Regina's suddenly flying name plate.

The ringing of Emma's phone interrupted them before Regina could decide if Emma had learned her lesson or if she needed to throw more things. With a slight nod from the brunette Emma plopped down into a chair on the other side of her desk and answered the phone. "Hey Sn—" She was cut off by the shrill screaming on the other side of the phone. She had to pull the phone away to try to save her ear drum. Reluctantly, she brought it back to hear her mother yelling into the phone over her little brothers cries.

"What!?" Emma was on her feet again with widening eyes.

Regina had only seen the kind of fear visibly growing in Emma when it came to their son's wellbeing. She came around the desk to try to catch the other end of the conversation, but was disappointed to only hear Neal's cries.

"No. I'll be right there." Emma started towards the door.

Regina did the only thing she could do and followed the upset Sheriff. "Emma, what's wrong?" She finally got to ask when the blonde hung up the phone.

"Sarahbella's missing." A deep frown carved itself into the face that was laughing not two minutes ago.

Regina grabbed her hand and without a warning engulfed them in a puff of purple smoke.

"Emma!" Snow gasped when the two women appeared in her living room.

"What happened?" Regina demanded.

"I don't know!" Snow kept her baby boy bouncing in her arms trying to get him to stop crying. "I turned my back to change Neal's diaper and when I turned back she was just gone!"

"Did you check upstairs?" Emma's eyes scanned over every inch of the room she could see. The panic in her grew the more she didn't see the little girl.

"Yes! I looked everywhere! Emma I'm so sorry."

"Stop it." Regina gripped Emma's bicep and pulled her away from the bouncing woman and screeching baby. "She's a toddler, Emma. She couldn't have gotten far."

Emma took a breath and ran a hand over her face. "You're right. You're right."

The Sheriff took a calmer look around the room. Her eyes stopped at the front door and she went to it. She turned the doorknob and tugged, but the door didn't budge. The deadbolt was firmly in place.

"There's no way she got through this door." Emma finally concluded. "She has to be here somewhere."

With the flick of her wrist the former evil queen levitated all the furniture in the room.

"I'll check upstairs again." Snow yelled over her son. The boy's cries finally muffled as she disappeared into the upper level.

The two women looked in every nook and cranny, under Snow and David's bed, the sofa, the couch and seats. Emma even went as far as to look under the now floating TV stand. After finding nothing in the coat closet Emma's heart sank with draining optimism.

Emma turned to Regina with a trembling lip and obvious wetness in her eyes. "She's not here."

"We'll find her." Regina affirmed.

Emma looked into her eyes and saw unwavering confidence. "How can you be so sure?"

The mayor rolled her eyes. "It's what you do."

She wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe in Regina's seemingly faith in her, but she couldn't see past the fact that Sarahbella was missing. The girl she made promises to, to protect and be there for, but she just left her with Snow even though she had her doubts. Even though she knew better and ignored that judgment call.

The doubts Regina saw in the so called savior was unbecoming. She grew frustrated with Emma's reluctance. It was always an uphill battle. She resorted to taking both the sheriff's shoulder in her hands and trying to physically shake her out of her panicking state. "Will you just trust me for once!?"

"Gina?" A muffled voice sounded into the room.

Both women stilled and strained to listen. "Did you hear that?" Regina whispered.

"She's not up here." Snow called down as she started descending the stairs, bringing with her the never ceasing screaming baby boy.

"Go back upstairs!" Both women ordered.

Snow grumbled as she did so, but she took the noise with her when she disappeared back into Emma's room.

"Sarah?" Emma called out.

"Emma!?"

They tilted their heads, trying to gauge the direction of the voice. In silent agreement they took careful steps into the kitchen where Emma called out again. "Sarah?"

"Emma!"

Emma crouched down by the sink where the two assessed the voice was coming from. Emma slowly opened the cabinet door with rejuvenating hope. She was rewarded with the little girl throwing herself into her arms.

"Emma!" The girl smiled up at her. "You're back!"

"What the hell, kiddo?" Emma held her close as she rose to her feet. "You're gonna make me get gray hairs."

"I'm sure that's just around the corner anyway, dear." Regina teased.

"And how old are you exactly?"

Regina pursed her lips together.

Emma grinned, finally victorious.

"Sarah sweetie, why were you hiding under the sink?" The mayor refocused.

"Waiting for Emma."

"You couldn't do that on the couch?"

The little brunette shook her head. "Taking too long."

The two women looked at each other, neither understanding the girl's train of thought. Emma continued the questioning. "Time goes faster under the sink?"

"In the cupboard! Uncle says… Uncle says… Blink of an eye!" She threw her arms up.

"Uncle? Uncle puts you in a cupboard?"

"When he has to go away," She lowered her eyes, "and when I'm bad." There was sadness in her voice that a child so young should never know.

The woman locked eyes again, not liking the direction this was going. Regina squeezed in close to Emma and put a hand on the toddler's arm. "Does Uncle ever hurt you?" Regina asked with a voice so gentle.

The little brunette wouldn't look at either of them, but took Regina's hand into her own and hugged it between her and Emma's chests.

The crying returned as Snow found the trio frowning at each other in her kitchen. She watched as Emma gave Regina a look she didn't understand and Regina wrapped an arm around Emma's waist. Snow blinked and she and Neal were left alone again with a puff of purple smoke, and the floating furniture crashing down all around her.

They reappeared again in Regina's office, Sarahbella holding tight to Regina, Emma holding tight to Sarahbella, and Regina still with a firm grip around Emma's waist. They stayed that way trying to bring a sense of security to the little girl. The two women were determined to send the message that nobody would hurt her ever again. They didn't move until Emma's ringtone brought them out of it. The sheriff passed the girl to Regina so she could get to it.

She was relieved when the caller ID said David instead of Snow. She wasn't particularly upset with her mother, but she'd rather not have to hear Baby Neal crying all over again. She rubbed at her forehead trying to drive away the migraine she got just thinking about it as she answered the phone.

"Emma? What's going on? Your mother just called me worried sick. Is everything alright?"

She looked up, watching as the mayor wandered around the office giving the toddler a better look at anything that caught her attention, content smiles growing on both their faces.

"It is now." She let out a long sigh. "I think Snow might need you though. You should head home."

It didn't take much for Emma to convince him. He was off the phone and presumably out of the station in no time.

She watched in amusement as Regina tickled the little girl's neck with a Quill. Emma shook her head and chuckled. Of course the Mayor had a Quill. "No more hiding in cupboards, okay?" The mayor told her. A small head nodded seriously then broke out into a fit of giggles when the feather returned. She let out a long yawn when it finally ended.

"Somebody needs a nap." Emma joined them.

"Nooo." It was already a weak denial without her head coming down to rest on Regina's shoulder.

"I could take her," Regina started to rub small circles on the little girl's back. "Since you've so graciously volunteered to take on the extra work, I could take a half day."

Emma frowned. Why had she done that again?

"You can trust me, Emma."

"I know." She did know. She knew in her heart that Regina was already as attached as Emma was to the toddler. She trusted her with Henry so there was no reason she shouldn't trust her with Sarah.

They agreed Emma would pick her up at the mansion after work. Sarahbella was already falling asleep in Regina's arms and wasn't much for goodbyes. Emma turned around when she was halfway out the door with the stack of papers in her arms. "Let's have dinner tonight, just the four of us."

"Four of us?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "You, me, and the kids." Emma froze. She hadn't expected it to sound so domestic.

Regina smirked. "Shall we load up the minivan, _honey_?" She practically purred the last word.

The Sheriff could feel the incoming flush of her cheeks so she got the hell out of there.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As far as first days went…well she was glad it was over. It was like all the homework she never did finally caught up to her, which, if she was being honest with herself, was close to all of it. The Sheriff rubbed at her wrist trying to get feeling back into her fingers as she walked up the mansion's path.

"Ma!" Henry answered the door with wide eyes. "You have to see this!" He grabbed her sore wrist and dragged her in before she could get a read on what was going on.

He finally slowed down as they got to the open door of Regina's study. He turned around with a finger pressed to his lips, before inching towards the door and poking his head in, keeping his body hidden behind the wall. He pulled Emma behind him with instructions to do the same. She peered her head in the door frame above his.

Regina was sitting at her desk with Sarahbella in her lap both staring down at an open book.

"And what animal is this?" The mayor asked as she pointed into the book.

"Pig!" The little girl bounced as she answered.

Emma smiled at the sight. Both brunettes had smiles of their own, utterly content with their ongoing game of name the animal. The little girl seemed to bring out a lightness to the mayor that the sheriff wasn't usually privy to. Sarahbella evolved into making animal sounds along with naming the animals she knew. Her owl sounded suspiciously similar to a cow mooing twice. Regina chuckled, but praised her just the same.

Henry pushed his biological mother back and turned to face her. "Isn't it amazing!?" He whispered as much as his level of excitement allowed him to.

"Yeah, kid. They look happy." Emma whispered back.

"Not that! Well…that, but don't you see it!?"

"See what?"

"She looks just like her! Sarahbella looks just like mom!" It wouldn't have been a surprise if he started jumping up and down.

Emma's eyes narrowed in disbelief. She had spent enough time with both brunettes to have noticed if there was a resemblance.

"Just look!" Henry pushed her to the doorframe. She peered in again to at the very least humor her son.

She studied them for moment trying to see what her son saw.

She frowned. Observation abilities were supposed to be a part of her skill set, and an important one at that. How she missed it all this time, she wasn't sure. Her son needed glasses. Poor kid must have inherited that from her.

She turned back to him. "Remind me to set up an eye exam for you."

His excitement drained away. "You don't think so?"

She shook her head. "Sorry kid."

"But Sarahbella looks like she could be mom's!" He gestured to the door frame with both arms.

"She looks as much like Regina as you do."

Henry's eyes narrowed. In that moment he actually looked a lot like Regina when the mayor was annoyed with her, but that was the opposite of the point Emma was trying to make.

She turned back to watch them again and not have to see her son's disappointed face.

Regina pointed into the book again. "Do you know what this is?"

"Bird!"

"What kind of bird?"

"mmmm" the little brunette strained her eyes as if the answer would reveal itself if she focused on the picture hard enough. "Big bird?"

Regina smiled fondly. "It's a swan."

"Like Emma?"

"Exactly like Emma."

The little girl gasped. "Emma's a bird?"

She pressed her lips together in amusement. "Yes."

"Hey!" Emma finally stepped into the room to reveal herself.

"Emma!" Sarahbella threw her hands up at the sight of her, but then brought them back down. She eyed the picture in the book and then looked up at her again.

"I'm not a bird."

The little brunette looked up at Regina for reassurance. The amusement deepened itself into the mayor's face. Emma looked at her pointedly. Sighing she relented, "She's a nice bird."

Emma rolled her eyes, but it was enough for Sarahbella to trust her again. She bounced in Regina's lap with her arms raised until Emma picked her up. She immediately engulfed her in kisses until the toddler giggled and squirmed.

"Henry, what's wrong?" The mayor asked when their son came in frowning.

"Nothing." He told her unconvincingly. "I just thought…" He glanced at his blonde mother and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What's for dinner?"

She couldn't help him with whatever was bothering him if he didn't want to talk about it, but at least she could always appease Henry's stomach. "Chicken parmesan"

Henry was satisfied with the answer, but the blonde frowned. "I thought we were going out?"

"You didn't specify about minivan."

The pesky flush wanted to return.

"Minivan?" Henry questioned.

* * *

Emma left the kids in the living room thoroughly preoccupied with a coloring book. She followed her nose into the mansion's kitchen where Regina was stirring a sauce pan on the stove; the smell alone was enough to make the sheriff want to commit more than half of the seven deadly sins.

She crept up closer behind the mayor trying to get a better look at the heavenly concoction. Luckily, Regina wasn't wearing her heels. Emma got an easy view over the barefoot mayor's shoulder. She licked her lips at the swirling sauce. She inhaled deeply trying to satisfy her craving solely with scent.

"Miss Swan" Regina kept stirring as she addressed her.

"Yeah?" Emma's breathy voice moved a curl of Regina's hair and caused a shiver to travel up her back.

Regina cleared her throat softly, "Can you justify why the concept of personal space has eluded you?"

_Personal space, _Emma smirked. Their entire relationship was built on a foundation of invading each other's personal space. In fact, Emma's earliest memories of the mayor involved them constantly being nose to nose, usually accompanied by yelling and every type of threat. She oddly missed it.

The hunger might have clouded Emma's judgment. She risked another small step forward, a fraction away from pressing herself onto the mayor. "You mean this personal space?"

Regina turned off the stove and abandoned the sauce to turn to her. "This isn't a game you want to play." The bravado was big, but without the heels Regina was actually kind of tiny. She had to look up slightly to glare at Emma properly.

Emma grinned, amused with her superior height. Without her boots she wouldn't have nearly as much of an advantage, so she would take her victories where she could get them. "Afraid I'll win?" Emma taunted and inched her face lower to meet the brunette's glare.

"What are you doing?" Emma shot away when she heard Tinker Bell's voice join them in the kitchen.

That didn't stop the mayor from glaring at her though. "The good savior was trying to start a fight."

"No I wasn't."

"Then what were you doing?" Tink restated her question.

What was she doing? Emma frowned. "Reminiscing?" As far as excuses went, it wasn't her worst. The fairy and the former evil queen quirked an eyebrow, Emma was relieved when at least the glaring stopped.

Tinker Bell shrugged seemingly accepting her answer after only a moment's pause. Emma watched as she continued to the kitchen's cupboards where she routed through it and Regina went back to preparing the meal.

"Where's the popcorn?" Tink asked when she finally pulled her head out.

"You ate it all." Regina poured the sauce into a bowl.

"Can you get more?"

"I could." She picked up the new sauce bowl. "Or you could get a job and get your own."

"I tried! No one wants to hire a disgraced fairy."

"Try harder."

"Reginaaaa" She whined, but Regina ignored her and disappeared into the dining room. She kicked at the spotless floor, then eyed Emma curiously. "Swan…"

"Tink…"

"I don't suppose you need a babysitter?"

Emma rubbed the back of her neck already feeling guilty about the impending rejection, "Sorry Tink, Snow already has that covered."

"Yeah, Regina told me how that turned out."

"She was just having an off day."

"You wouldn't have to worry about that with me. The little tyke would have my undivided attention at all times."

It was a fair point, one that would bother her incessantly every time she had to leave Sarahbella with Snow. Her face contorted as she decided. Her mother wasn't going to be pleased. "Alright, fine."

The smile that broke out on Tinker Bell's face made the future disappointed looks from her mother worth it. "Great! Could you drop here off here before work? I wouldn't want to crowd your mother at the apartment."

"Here? Why here?" Emma's brow furrowed.

"I live here."

It was news to Emma. When had that happened? "I thought you were staying at the B&B."

The smile left the fairy's face with a huff. "I _was_. Until a certain She-Wolf started acting like the big bad bitch that she really is."

"Oh…Okay." The sudden anger confused the sheriff, but she was wise enough to steer away from it. "Here it is then." She knew she did the right thing when the smile returned.

"Regina!" Tink hurried to get out of the kitchen. "I got a job!"

* * *

Emma needed to learn to control her portions. Her pants were too tight when she sat in her Bug after strapping Sarahbella into her child seat. She undid the button on her pants and let out a relieved moan. She imagined this was what it felt like to eat like a King. Emma promised herself that she would wile her way in to more of the mayor's home cooked meals.

She gave her stomach a quick pat before turning the key in the ignition. A knocking on the passenger window stopped her before she could put the bug into drive. Tinker Bell was waving in. The sheriff leaned over and opened the door for her. It was just easier than rolling down the window. What the yellow bug lacked in powered windows it made up for in character.

The fairy leaned into the car through the open door. "Hey boss lady. Care to do me a favor?"

"Depends on the favor." This town had made wary of agreeing blind favors.

"Can you give me a ride to the grocery store? Regina gave me some paper currency for popcorn." She waved a five dollar bill into the car.

"What is it with you and popcorn?"

"It's delicious." Tink was just full of good points.

"Hop in." Emma gestured with her head, smiling.

* * *

The fairy spent most of the car ride twisted in her seat having a heated debate with the three year old about which colors were the 'bestest'. She almost convinced Sarahbella that green was the best, but then the little girl remembered she liked yellow like Emma's hair, and purple like Regina's magic, and blue because Henry liked blue, and red because Ruby's other name is Red and she liked Ruby, but she liked green too because Tinker Bell liked green. In the end all the colors turned out to be the 'bestest'.

"But green is better than red." Tink tried to get in a final point as she undid her seatbelt.

"No." The toddler huffed and crossed her arms.

The fairy laughed before stopping abruptly and turned back to look at Emma. "She sort of looks like Regina doesn't she?"

Emma stared back at her unbelieving. "Not really," They both turned in their seats to look at her. "Look at those big blue eyes, nothing like Regina at all."

Sarahbella tilted her head at the women suddenly studying her.

"Yeah…I guess you're right." Tink twisted back and opened her door. She stepped out and waved her goodbyes. "Thanks for the ride boss lady."

* * *

"Why am I doing this again?" Emma had started off installing child locks in the mansion's kitchen cabinets after a few days of Regina's insistence, but somehow ended up on her back wrestling with a u-bend under the sink.

"Because I asked you too." Regina answered nonchalantly leaned against the adjoining counter, but watched with amusement as the sheriff's feet kicked and scrambled to find purchase.

"This is my punishment, isn't it?"

Regina rolled her eyes, "Why do you keep assuming everything I ask of you is a punishment?"

"Because." She grunted as she put more force into twisting the wrench around the pipe. "You haven't said…" she grunted again. "You forgive me yet."

"You seriously expect me to?"

"No… Yes… Eventually?" She paused to consider the answer. "All I know is that the punishment has to come first."

The brunette sighed, not wanting to have this conversation.

"Regina…" Emma stopped with the wrench and steeled herself. She'd been meaning to have this discussion with the older woman for a while. She thought it might be easier to have if they didn't have to look at each other. "Henry says you haven't really been leaving the house except to go to work. Is that true?"

She pressed her lips together; she'd have to have a conversation with her son later. "I don't see how that is any of your business."

She inched her way out from under the sink. She didn't want to hide her next words. "He's worried about you. We both are."

The sincerity in the blonde's eyes was not lost on the mayor, but only served to make her want to push it away even more. "The sink isn't going to unclog itself."

The sheriff gave her half a reprieve and went back to work. "It isn't you. You should be out there tormenting the commoners."

"I don't have too when the only commoner I have interest in tormenting continually inserts herself into my life."

"Ah ha!" Emma cheered in both victories of getting the U-bend off, and at Regina's omission. "So you do want to punish me!"

Regina sighed. She heard the clunk of metal on wood as Emma set down the piece of pipe. "Fine, if you're so insistent." She granted the sheriff's wish and turned on the tap.

Emma didn't see it coming. The current of water rushed down the drain and into the open pipe above her face. It soaked into her hair and all over her shirt. In her hurry to get out from under it, she shot up and hit her head against the wood framing.

The thunk was loud enough to worry Regina. She turned the tap off and bent down to get a good look at the blonde. She was just lying there with a gash of red starting to seep through on her forehead. Regina sighed again, "Now look what you've done."

"Meee?" Emma tilted her head up enough to stare wide-eyed at the mayor and her audacity.

"I didn't slam your head against the sink, Miss Swan."

"No, I did it to myself after you tried to drown me. Cause and effect, Regina, it's elementary." She shimmed her way out, but closed her eyes and stayed sat on the floor to let the sudden dizziness subside.

"Well by that logic, it's your mother's fault for having you."

Emma just sighed.

Regina waited a beat, but when Emma didn't move she had to ask, "Are you alright, dear?"

"Now you care?"

"No." Regina straightened herself and crossed her arms. She eyed the unmoving sheriff warily, before her face finally softened. "But…are you alright?"

A smile crept up Emma's lips and she popped one eye open to look up at the mayor.

"Don't." Regina pointed an accusing finger.

Emma laughed out and opened her other eye. "You care a little bit."

"Minuscule." The mayor took Emma's hand when she offered it and helped pull her to her feet. "You're bleeding."

She watched as the sheriff brought a hand up to her forehead and wince when she touched it. The red on her fingers confirmed Regina's words for her. Regina wasn't prepared for the unexpected reveal of toned abs as Emma lifted the bottom of her shirt to press to the wound on her head. The wet white tank top had already left little to the imagination, but the bare sight left the mayor a little dazed and staring. She wasn't really one to objectify, but it was staring her right in the face in her own home. If she wanted to take a second to appreciate the blonde's beauty then she would indulge herself.

The moment was lost when Emma lowered her shirt enough to look at Regina, and opened her mouth. "Did it stop?"

Regina sighed. Such a stupid, sexy sheriff, it wasn't fair. "Ruining your shirt isn't going to help. You need stitches."

Emma frowned. "Can't you just magic it better?"

"I could, but then you wouldn't learn anything."

"So…stitches are my punishment?"

The mayor rolled her eyes. She'd had enough of this. "Will you shut up about nonexistent punishments if I heal you?"

The blonde stared at Regina and pressed her lips together before finally giving an answer. "Yes."

Regina used Emma's shirt to gently wipe away some of the blood that was starting to run down. She let the shirt go to hover her hand over the wound. A warm glow emitted from it and cascaded over the blondes face.

They didn't hear the soft pitter patter of Sarahbella coming into the kitchen holding her empty tippy cup.

"You know, you're never going to meet Mulan if you don't leave the house."

The mayor rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day. If the sheriff was going to keep bringing things up she didn't want to talk about then she was going to make her pay. She closed the distance to Emma's now mostly healed wound with a slap of her still glowing hand.

"Ow!"

Sarahbella gasped and let her tippy cup tumble to the floor where it bounced before sliding away.

Both women turned to the noise and saw the little girl staring up at them in horror.

"You hurt Emma?" The toddler was fighting back tears.

"No." Regina took a step to go to her, but the little brunette stepped back in fear. "Sarah I didn't."

"I saw." Her tiny lip trembled. "You hurt Emma with magic."

Emma looked between the two brunette's both with equal expressions of despair. "Sarah…" She squatted down and gestured for her to come to her. She moved slowly, wary of Regina's proximity. Emma took a small hand in her own. "Regina didn't hurt me. You knew she had magic before didn't you?" When she nodded, Emma continued. "Then why are you afraid?"

"Uncle…" She looked away and trailed off.

Emma glanced up at Regina hoping for some reinforcements.

The mayor joined her, kneeling with both knees on the floor. She reached out an uncertain hand towards the little girl before changing her mind and pulling it back. "Does Uncle have magic?"

The answering nod was subtle.

"Did he hurt you with magic?" Regina's breaking heart only let her whisper.

Sarahbella didn't move or say anything, but the tears that finally spilled from her eyes told them what they needed to know.

"Sarah…" Emma waited until the crying girl looked at her. "I'm so sorry he hurt you." She squeezed the small hand in hers. "You don't have to be afraid anymore."

The little brunette glanced at Regina tentatively, still unsure.

"Hey," Emma drew her attention back. "You don't ever have to be afraid of Regina. She uses her magic for good, to help and protect people. She would never hurt us."

That was enough. Sarahbella let go of Emma and hurried into Regina's torso. The two brunettes wrapped their arms around and each and held tight. "I love you, Gina."

A tear ran down Regina's cheek as a smile blossomed across her face. "I love you too." She breathed.

It felt like an intimate moment. Emma made a move to get up and give them space, but Regina grabbed her hand and stopped her. The two women locked eyes, and Emma smiled when Regina mouthed two simple words. _Thank you._

* * *

**a/n: Sorry if the formatting has been weird. This is my first fic, and I'm still figuring out how this thing works. I'm going to make the line break my new friend.  
**

**Thank you everyone for following, favoriting, and reading along. And a huge thank you to everyone who has said nice things. If my heart could do a back flip it would do cartwheels for you. (back flips seem dangerous)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: I don't mean to be writing this story so slow, I'll do better I promise. Thanks again for the reviews and follows. :)  
**

* * *

Sarahbella didn't want to talk about it. She shut down if either Emma or Regina tried to broach the subject of her uncle, so they enlisted the help from the doctors of Stroybrooke.

The trip to the doctor's had gone better than expected. There were no signs of physical abuse that any type of test could find. According to Doctor Whale, Sarahbella was a perfectly healthy three year old girl. But the sheriff had grown up seeing more than her fair share of kids from abusive homes. She knew an absence of evidence didn't always mean there hadn't been a crime.

The toddler remained reluctant, but after days of building trust and getting to know Archie and Pongo, she came around and did her best to answer his questions. Archie knew all the right things to ask, and was able to put together and make sense of her short answers to his many, many questions.

Doctor Hopper came to three conclusions.

One, Sarahbella loved her uncle, and she was certain he loved her too.

Two, he had indeed used magic to hurt her. However, from Sarahbella's perspective, her pain was merely a consequence of his work. What his work was she could not specify, only that he had to use magic on her and it caused excruciating pain. If he did not like the results it yielded he would get angry and lock her in a cupboard until he wanted to try again.

Lastly, she was happy in Storybrooke. Uncle seemed to keep her very secluded. She loved her new life with Emma, and Archie believed that the toddler would be devastated if she ever had to go back.

Emma came to a conclusion of her own.

If she ever found this Uncle guy she was going to punch him in the face, and fight tooth and nail to keep her from him.

* * *

Emma watched from her seat in the booth as Granny carried Sarahbella on her hip around the diner taking orders, and pouring coffee. Sarahbella had kept calling Granny back to ask her a new question, so Granny decided to save them both some trouble and just take the toddler with her. Sarahbella happily pointed out customers with diminishing coffee supplies to get Granny to refill them. The little girl was tipped in smiles and high-fives.

Her life almost seemed normal again if she ignored the fact that all her friends and family were fairytale characters. She was happy, Sarahbella was happy, Henry was happy, and Regina…well she somehow turned herself into a shut in.

The sheriff's leg bounced nervously under the table.

She had invited Henry and Regina to breakfast at Granny's the previous night at dinner. Regina hadn't actually said yes, but she only said no three times, and finally gave a 'maybe' when Emma made the kids gang up on her.

Emma didn't understand Regina's hesitance. The mayor usually strutted around the town like the queen she was. Something felt missing without Regina occasionally glaring at her from across the street. There was now plenty of glaring in Regina's house, but it just wasn't the same. She missed hearing Regina's remarks when she would not so silently judge the townsfolk.

She hoped that Regina would come around and show up today, but she was growing anxious with every minute that ticked by.

"Would you relax?" Ruby sat down in the booth across from her and put a hand on her bouncing leg under the table to still it. "You're giving everyone anxiety."

"Sorry," Emma gave an apologetic smile. She took another look at the door. "I just wish Regina and Henry would hurry up and get here."

"Regina's coming?" Ruby was surprised. "Does that mean she'll start coming in for her fancy coffees before work again? I wasted a week's worth of supplies before I figured out she wasn't coming."

"You pre-make her coffee?"

"We have a system." The waitress explained. "I have her fancy drinks ready for her in the morning, and she leaves generous tips when she comes in for meals. And I mean generous." She continued. "Those tips paid for like half my wardrobe."

That just raised more questions. "Why? I thought you guys had the whole nemesis thing going."

Ruby shrugged. "Habit I guess. We were technically friends for like 10 years."

There was still a lot for Emma to learn about this town. "What changed?"

"You mean other than everything? You broke the curse, Em. She remembered who she was and pulled away. I remembered who I was and well, it made sense."

Emma frowned. "Is there anyone my family hasn't taken from her?"

"Probably not."

"Ruby, back to work!" Sarahbella called out from behind the counter after Ruby had ignored Granny's orders half a dozen times.

"I'm going, I'm going." Ruby stood up and poured Emma a refill of her coffee. "Your kid's bossy."

_Her kid._ Something tightened in her chest. That was something she could get used to.

...

"Hey kid." She popped out of her seat to wrap Henry in a tight hug when he finally arrived. "I missed you."

He struggled in her embrace, trying to free himself. "Ma, I saw you last night."

She tightened her hold. "Can't a mother miss her son?"

"It hasn't even been twelve hours!"

Resistance was futile. Twelve hours or twelve minutes she was happy to see him and she wasn't letting go until he hugged her back. He knew the rules.

He whined about people staring and something about not being able to breathe, but he gave in eventually and returned his mother's squeeze.

"That's my boy." She finally let go to smile at him. Her little boy was growing up to be big and strong. In a few more years he would be the one squeezing the air out of her. She glanced up at the door expecting to see Regina, but was disappointed to see no one there. She frowned. "Your mom's not coming?" She was afraid of this.

"She said she'd catch up." He smiled and pointed back at the door with his thumb. "She stopped to talk to Ariel about her legs." His nose scrunched up with the realization of what he had said. "Our lives are weird aren't they?"

Emma laughed. At least he finally noticed.

He turned his head to glance back at the door. "Thanks for inviting Mom." His face softened. "I know she said she didn't want to come, but she kept telling me to hurry up all morning."

Perhaps Emma hadn't been wrong to resort to having the kids pout until Regina said something other than no. Regina would be here and they would all have breakfast together. Emma smiled, today was a good day. She grabbed her son and forced him into another hug.

"Whhhhy?" He whined.

"Because I love you."

The bell above the door chimed as Regina stepped through. Emma released Henry and smiled wide as Regina joined them by the booth.

"Careful Mom, Ma's being needy."

"Nothing's changed then."

Emma laughed. "No it hasn't." Her smile remained sincere as she looked at Regina. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"Yes well, I couldn't deprive you the privilege of buying me breakfast."

"And a privilege it is, Madame Mayor."

"What is wrong with you?" Regina questioned the smiling fool.

"It might have something to do with the seven cups of coffee." Granny brought Sarahbella over before Emma got the chance to answer. "Pace yourself, Sheriff, or I'm cutting you off."

The little girl practically leaped into Regina's arms in greeting. "'G'moring Gina."

"Good morning, sweet heart."

"Hi Henny!"

"Hi Sarah." Henry smiled. "Do you want to sit with Mom today?"

"Yes!"

They settled into the booth with Henry and Emma on one side, and Sarahbella and Regina on the other. Sarah recounted what Granny had taught her about the diner's workings until Ruby made her way over.

"Mayor Mills, Henry." Ruby welcomed the new comers.

"Miss Lucas." Regina nodded in greeting. "Tinker Bell sends her regards."

"Really?" The waitress was almost hopeful.

Henry smirked. "She says to go fu-"

"Henry!"

"…yourself." He finished in a stage whisper.

The disappointed waitress took their orders, and delivered their food. She made more passes by their booth than were entirely necessary. Emma caught her eyeing Regina as she helped Sarahbella cut up her omelet. Every time Emma looked up at Ruby, the waitress was still keeping an eye on the mayor and little brunette with a curious expression.

The now nine coffees caught up with Emma and she was forced to take a quick bathroom break. As she was returning to her seat she had had enough of Ruby's gazing when she caught her bluntly staring from behind the counter. Emma rerouted her steps to confront her. "What are you doing?" She had to wave her hand in front of her friend's face to snap her out of it.

"Em!" She half-whispered. "Have you noticed how much Sarahbella looks like Regina?"

"What?" Emma narrowed her eyes. Two was a coincidence. Three had to be a conspiracy.

"They could totally be related."

The blonde looked over at the two in the booth. Okay fine, they had a similar skin complexion, but that didn't mean anything. "Skin color doesn't make them related, Ruby."

"What?" Ruby was appalled. "That's not what I meant at all."

"I know this town lacks diversity, but there are actually millions of people with darker complexions."

"Emma! I'm not some ignorant bigot! It's more than that!"

"Fine." Emma gritted her teeth. "I'll bite." She was finally willing to listen.

"They totally have the same nose, and all Sarah's mouth is missing is the scar. They even kind of smell the same!"

"They spend a lot of time together."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. She couldn't understand why her friend was fighting this. "It's not that. I can tell the difference between someone's natural scent, and the scent of someone else on a person."

"And when was the last time you got close enough to take a good whiff of Regina?"

Ruby was confused. "I can smell her from here."

"Along with everyone else. That's a lot of variables, don't you think?"

"What do you want me to do? Go over there and sniff her?"

Emma smiled slyly. "It would be a more reliable source."

...

She couldn't believe Ruby was going through with it. Emma watched from her seat back in the booth as Ruby made her rounds around the diner, taking careful glances back at the foursome for an opportunity to make her move.

The werewolf causally took a place at the booth behind Regina, under the guise of clearing the table. She moved in when Regina was preoccupied with wiping Sarahbella's face with a napkin.

Henry's brow rose, and Emma tried not to laugh as Ruby leaned down towards Regina's head. She took a few small sniffs before taking a long one that was probably louder than she intended.

"Miss Lucas," Regina turned her head to accuse the waitress.

"Yeah?" Ruby squeaked.

"If you are looking for a place to mark your territory, you are barking up the wrong tree."

"Ha!" Emma laughed out and Henry chuckled.

Sarahbella tilted her head. "What's funny?" She asked the group.

"Ruby's a wolf." Henry explained.

The little girl's eyes grew wide.

"Is there a reason your nose is anywhere near me?" The mayor glared.

"It was Emma's idea!" Ruby hurried away, leaving Emma in the lurch.

She panicked when Regina looked at her. "Uh…you smell nice?"

Regina's eyebrow arched. Emma avoided any more questions by stuffing her face with pancakes.

...

The waitress eventually made her way back to the group pretending that there was no sniffing incident. Sarahbella stood up in the booth to stare her down. "Ruby, no eating Emma." She demanded.

That raised eyebrows all around.

"Why would I eat Emma?"

The little girl took a careful look around and refocused on Ruby when she thought it was safe. She leaned in over Regina to get as close to Ruby as she could and whispered. "Emma's a bird."

The others erupted, but Emma was not amused. "I'm not a bird." She grumbled.

"Don't worry, Sarah. I usually only eat children." Ruby grinned wickedly.

Sarahbella wasn't threatened. Her face broke out into the smuggest grin Emma had ever seen on a toddler. "Regina protects me." She held on to the brunette next to her.

Regina's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sudden declaration. She settled into a smug grin of her own as she looked down at the little girl at her side.

Emma saw an opportunity and she took it. She picked up her phone from the table and captured the smug smiles where they would last forever in a digital photo.


	6. Chapter 6

"Henry, be careful!" Regina was visibly anxious. The kids used their infamous pouts to convince her to tag along to the park. Henry held on tight to Sarahbella as they went down the tall slide, but that didn't ease her worries.

"Relax Regina, they're fine." Emma called from her seat on the bench, one arm sprawled out across the back. "You're going to give yourself an aneurysm."

"Well excuse me, Sheriff, for being concerned about our children."

"Our children, huh?" Emma smirked.

Regina turned from the spot she was standing in just to roll her eyes at the blonde. "Sarahbella is technically a ward of the town. We are the town's officials, so yes, our children."

"Okay, mayor of my children, come sit with me."

"No."

"I will sic the kids on you again."

Regina glared. "You use low tactics."

"It gets results."

The brunette shook her head, but stocked over anyway. She waited until Emma moved her arm before taking a seat.

They sat in companionable silence watching Henry and Sarahbella on the playground. Henry took careful measures to keep Sarahbella safe as they climbed up and down the playground together. He sat behind her and kept protective arms around her every time they went down the slide. The women smiled together as they watched the children laugh and play.

Henry ran ahead with a giggling Sarahbella chasing after him. Her step's faltered. The little girl fell over landing on her hands and knees. Regina sprung to her feet, only to be stopped by Emma grabbing her hand.

"Henny!" Sarahbella called out. The older boy turned around and hurried back to her.

"It's okay, he's got this." Emma reassured the mayor as she pulled her back down.

Regina was tense. She kept her hand in a nervous fist even as she watched Henry get Sarahbella to her feet and dust her off. He got on one knee and tied her shoe. Sarahbella ran off again before Henry got a chance to get up. He chased after her just slow enough not to completely catch up.

Emma pried at Regina's fingers to get them to loosen her fist. It was the only part of Regina she could get to open up. For the most part the mayor seemed normal, but anytime anything went a little bit wrong the mayor stressed like it was the end of the world. No amount of prodding or emotional blackmail could get the brunette to talk to Emma about it. She had that in common with Sarahbella. Both brunettes used extreme measures to get out of discussing things they didn't want to talk about.

Emma rubbed Regina's palm absentmindedly. She didn't quite know how to describe their relationship. Friends never seemed to be the right word. They were more than that to each other in every aspect of their lives. They were partners in keeping the town running, and keeping it safe. They were partners in raising their son, and on a good day they were even partners in driving Snow crazy, instead of each other. Now they had this new love of a toddler further entwining their lives. Whatever their relationship was, they were going to be connected forever.

"Are we friends?" The sheriff finally thought to ask.

Regina tore her eyes away from the kids to look at her. "I don't know, Miss Swan. Do friends usually hold hands while they watch their children at the park?"

Emma didn't understand. Regina glanced to Emma's lap to give her a hint. She was more than surprised to find Regina's hand sandwiched in between in own. She could plainly see the amusement in the mayor's eyes. She was expecting Emma to pull away and have another opportunity to mock her. Emma was only going to give her half a point. She couldn't stop the older woman from mocking her, but she buckled in and intertwined their fingers. She couldn't bring herself to look at Regina, but she wasn't going to be the one to pull away.

"Emma." Regina's voice was level.

"Yeah?"

"You're turning red."

Her blush being acknowledged only made it deepen. "Shut up."

The mayor let out a soft laugh, but let it go.

Regina sat contently as Emma tried not to fidget. Parents and kids gave them second glances as they passed by. Some gave them curious looks, while others gave them looks more hostile than Emma was comfortable with. She was tempted to rip her hand away when Henry spotted them from across the playground, but she stayed and extracted another soft chuckle from Regina who knew exactly what was going on.

The mood shifted when Regina's grip suddenly tightened. Emma immediately knew something was wrong.

Robin and Marian strolled in, each holding one of Roland's hands between them. Robin waved at the two women on the bench. Emma only managed a tight lipped smile.

"You okay?" Emma leaned in to ask.

"I'm fine." It had become Regina's automatic response to any questions regarding her wellbeing.

"The more you say you're fine, the less I believe you."

Regina rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. "Then stop asking."

The sheriff sighed. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Regina sat stiffly beside her without any indication of what she wanted.

"I'll get the kids." Emma stood.

Regina followed. "That isn't necessary."

"It's almost nap time anyway." It was an easy out and they both knew it. All Regina had to do was agree and they'd be on their way.

"I supposed you do get rather irritable."

Sometimes she forgets why she does nice things for Regina. It was the closest thing to a yes she was going to get. She started walking away to get the kids.

"Emma…"

Against her better judgment, the sheriff risked a glance back.

Regina smiled sincerely. Her chocolate eyes lacked their usual guardedness and swelled with compassion instead. "Thank you."

Oh, right. That's why.

It had taken a little bit of convincing, but Emma headed back with Sarahbella in her arms and Henry at her side. She had lost track of Robin and his family when she was rounding up the children. She let her eyes wander to try to get a location on them.

She spotted Marian making a bee line for an unsuspecting Regina standing where Emma had left her by the bench. "Crap." She looked down at Sarahbella. "I mean…" She saw Marian quicken her steps. "Crap." Emma put the girl down to make a run for intercepting. It was already a loss cause, and she only got half way before someone grabbed her and pulled her to a stop.

"She only wants to talk." Robin tried to reassure, but Marian did not seem like a woman on the hunt for a simple conversation.

Emma considered calling out just to give Regina a chance. A chance for what she couldn't even begin to guess, but her stomach clenched when she realized it was too late.

Everyone's eyes shifted to the scene as Marian reached her.

"People say you've changed." Marian stood tall. "My husband included."

Regina did her best to conceal her nervous swallow as she turned to face her confronter. "I don't know what you expect me to say."

"There's nothing you can say that would convince me." There was anger in the woman's demeanor. "I'd like to see for myself." Marian's hand lifted and everyone knew what came next. Her open palm connected with Regina's cheek hard enough to turn her head. It reddened immediately. Marian drew her hand back again, and Regina clenched her fist at her sides. The second slap landed just has hard as the first. Marian breathed hard, she wasn't quite finished. She drew her hand back again with fierce anger bubbling in her eyes.

"Stop it!" Sarahbella screamed as she ran towards them. She shot her hands out from her chest. A ball of force followed the motion, it swirled black and purple.

Onlookers gasped. Robin tried to get to his wife, but the force was too quick and he could only watch in horror. It made a direct hit with Marian's chest. Regina's hair fluttered with the passing wind as Marian was thrown back. Her body did not lose any momentum as she was pushed through the foliage, but came to a complete stop when her back landed smack into a tree. Her head bounced against the thick bark and her body limped forward.

"Marian!" Robin yelled as he ran after her.

Emma was hot on his heels, but stopped to check on a flabbergasted Regina. "Are you okay?"

"Emma" Regina breathed.

"I know...Just get the kids home; we'll deal with it later." She left Regina nodding as she ran to catch up with Robin.

* * *

Sarahbella's eyes ran with tears, but she didn't make a sound. Regina transported herself and the children back to the mansion where things were calm, but the little girl was terrified and nothing Regina or Henry said could get her to stop crying.

Regina took Sarahbella up to her bedroom where she put the little brunette down and let her curl up in the big bed. She got in beside her, stroking her soft hair and whispering soothing words, telling her that everything was going to be alright.

"Sweetheart, please talk to me." Regina pleaded.

Sarahbella took in a deep breath. Her little hand reached out to touch Regina's still hot and stinging cheek. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine." She told her earnestly.

"I protect you." There was a promise in those beautiful blue eyes, and a love that almost felt familiar.

"You don't need to protect me; it's my job to protect you. You don't ever have to use magic like that okay? Do you know that's what you did? That you used magic?"

She nodded her head guiltily against the pillow. "Uncle taught me."

Regina wasn't surprised. She had felt the magic as it blasted Marian away. It was dark magic, strong and corrupted. Only a monster like Uncle would subject a child to such lessons. "What else did he teach you?"

The little girl drew her hand away from the mayor's cheek and raised it in the air. When her arm was fully extended she made a fist, then quickly opened it. A flash of flame came alive in the small palm.

Regina suffocated the flame by engulfing Sarah's hand in her own. "Let's not do that."

…

Emma waited with Robin and his son in the emergency room. Marian had been unconscious since the moment her head hit the tree. She knew there was nothing she could have done, but she couldn't help but be angry with herself.

Regina had her reason for saying no all those times. Maybe this exact situation wasn't what the mayor thought would happen, but she must have been hiding from something similar, avoiding this kind of mess. But Emma had just kept pushing, and now here she was at the hospital waiting for news about a woman with a cracked skull who had already been through enough.

"Daddy, is mommy going to die?" Roland asked his father.

"No. No, she won't leave us." Robin tried to reassure himself as much his son, but the sheriff could see the unspoken words in the breaking man's eyes. _Not again._

* * *

Henry wandered around the house aimlessly. There was still no news from Emma and he didn't know what to do with himself in the meantime.

He found his way up the stairs and to the open doorway of his mother's bedroom. She was just lying there next to the sleeping girl, stroking her hair and just watching over her like he remembered she used to do for him. If his pseudo-sister felt a fraction of the security his mother's love induced in him, then he knew Sarahbella would be okay. No matter what had been done to her, and no matter what she had done herself, the little girl had the former Evil Queen looking out for her and that would never change.

His mother's cheek was still red. She shifted as if she felt his gaze and placed a hand lightly on it.

"Does it hurt?" He asked softly.

She moved her hand away and smiled sweetly. "I'm fine, dear."

Of course she was. She was always fine these days. Henry sighed. "I'll get an ice-pack."

He had to dig through Tinker Bell's collection of frozen meals. The fairy had the nutritional values of a poor college student, at least that's what his mother kept complaining about. He finally found the ice-pack pinned in the back behind 3 boxes of pizza flavored hot-pockets. Henry had to roll his eyes. She only got that flavor because she knew he would only eat the ham and cheese ones.

A pounding on the front door distracted him from his hot-pocket resentment.

Tinker Bell came in from the living room and met him in the foyer. The pounding made the walls and window's shake. Henry took a step forward only to have Tink pull him back.

"We know you're in there witch!" Muffled voices yelled. "You can't hide!" The pounding became more forceful. "We'll get you!"

"Go upstairs!" Tink pushed Henry to get him in motion.

He only got half way when the hinges gave in. The door collapsed into the foyer with a heavy man landing inside with it; Little John. Robin Hood's Merry Men funneled in through the broken door way as Little John got to his feet.

"Get out!" The brave fairy yelled. She put all her strength in trying to push Little John back, but he was three times her size in every way. With a strong sweep of his arm he threw her aside through an archway where something crashed when she landed.

"Tink!" Angered, Henry stood his ground on the stairs swearing to himself that no one would get passed.

"Just give us the witch, boy." Little John ordered from the bottom of the stairs.

Before him stood a band of his childhood heroes, a few short years ago he might have done anything they asked, but the lines of good guys and bad guys had significantly blurred. He raised two shaky fists even though he knew he didn't stand a chance. "I won't let you hurt my family."

"Henry." His mother appeared behind him at the top of the stairs, the men took aim with their bows and arrows. "Come here." When he was safely behind her she took a few steps down to address the trespassers. "You will remove yourselves immediately, or I will do it for you."

Little John and some others tried to bull rush the stairs. Regina flicked her wrist and they went flying back into their comrades. The group stumbled and collapsed in itself. One archer stayed standing and let loose an arrow aimed for Regina's heart.

She caught it easily in one hand and smirked. "Really?" She applied pressure with her thump until it snapped. A green smoke emitted from the broken ends. "No." Regina gasped. Her eyes rolled back and her body went limp.

"Mom!" Henry cried. He could only watch helplessly as his mother tumbled down the stairs.

The Merry Men laughed when Regina landed awkwardly at the bottom. Little John reached for her.

"Stop it!" Henry hurried down.

The man heaved his mother over his shoulder and pushed Henry back with a strong hand when the boy tried to stop him. Henry fell back onto the stairs. "Stay down, boy, and you won't get hurt."

Angry tears formed in his eyes. If only he were bigger, if only he were stronger, maybe he could have done something to save her. "Mom!" He cried out again, as they carried her away.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma hit ignore for the second time on her cell phone. Doctor Whale was in the middle of explaining Marian's condition. She was still unconscious, but he assured them it was only a matter of time before she woke up. She was going to be sore and have a hell of a headache, but she was going to make a full recovery.

"Can we see her?" Robin asked eagerly.

"The nurses are settling her in a private room now. It should be only a few minutes." Doctor Whale nodded his well wishes and left the sheriff and the outlaw standing in his wake.

"I can't believe this happened…" Robin rubbed at his face.

Emma let out a long sigh. "I know what you mean."

"I would have never let her go through with it if I thought she was going to be so angry." There was such remorse in his voice. The sheriff could recognize it anywhere, she felt it just the same in herself. His sad eyes locked with hers. "She swore she only wanted to talk."

"Maybe she did…maybe her emotions just got the better of her."

"She can be a bit hot-headed." He smiled sadly. "She and Regina have that in common."

"I guess you have a type."

"I guess we both do."

"How is she?" Mulan joined them in the waiting area.

"She'll recover. We got lucky."

Mulan hummed in agreement. "I was worried. From what the town is saying Regina really did a number on her. Are you going to want to press charges?"

"What?" Emma asked confused. "Regina didn't do anything, Marian assaulted her."

Mulan raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Marian didn't put herself in here."

"It was the child. Sarahbella." Robin explained.

The warrior turned deputy narrowed her eyes. "I can understand if you both want to protect Regina, but blaming a toddler…?"

"She used magic." He looked to Emma. "Has Regina been teaching her?"

"No!" Emma was offended by the light accusation in his voice. "You saw her! She was just as surprised as we were."

"The whole town is convinced Regina did it." Mulan shrugged. "Magic, Regina, Marian in the hospital. It adds up."

Emma threw her head back and let out a frustrated moan, stupid small towns and their jumping to conclusions.

"Emma, if the town really thinks Regina is responsible, you should go to her. My men have already been looking for an excuse to retaliate."

Emma's eyes grew wide, those two missed calls suddenly felt like the most important phone calls of her life. She sprinted away and down the hall at full speed, pulling her phone free from her pocket to franticly call back her son.

…

Regina was standing. At least she thought she was standing. She couldn't exactly feel her legs, or most of her body, but the sight from her blurred, dizzy vision told her she was standing.

She'd had this dream before. She'd lived this before.

A sea of angry faces stared back at her. Voices yelled obscenities. She thought the voices might belong to the angry faces, but they didn't quite sync right in her mind, so she couldn't be sure.

She tried to focus on the faces. This wasn't right. This wasn't like before. There were faces missing from the angry mob. The faces of the people she cared about. They were always there when she had this dream.

She watched the angry faces as they carried wood and set it all around her. They weren't here. This dream was wrong.

Another angry stranger lit a torch.

Maybe it didn't matter. The dream would be over soon.

…

Emma didn't know which way to turn, but she was flooring the gas petal in her Bug so it wouldn't be a good idea to turn anyway.

She had already checked the Merry Men's encampment, but she didn't find a single clue of where they might have gone. She called Ruby and David for back up, but all they could do was mimic Emma and drive around like chickens with their heads cut off.

The sheriff knew Regina was anything but defenseless, but her son's panicked words kept echoing in her head. "Ma, they took her! They just took her!" Regina wasn't one to just be taken. Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't freaking out a little.

She readjusted her hands on the steering wheel and steeled herself as she took a wild turn. The momentum lifted two tires in the air. The other two cried as they slid across asphalt. She swerved back and forth into both lanes as she got back control when she landed.

Traffic laws be damned.

She had to find her.

…

A large man blocked her view of the angry strangers. He reached out a hand and patted her roughly on the cheek where Marian had slapped her. It might have hurt if she wasn't dreaming.

"Wake-y, Wake-y, Your Majesty." He lifted her chin and squeezed her face in one hand. "You wouldn't want to miss your own execution."

_Little John,_ she recognized as in his cold eyes bore into hers. She pulled her face away. She gritted her teeth as pain finally registered. This wasn't a dream.

He laughed as the grogginess left her eyes.

Regina tugged her hands, but found that she couldn't move. They had her standing on tree stump surrounded by an assortment of wood. Her back was pressed to a wooden pole, and her hands and body were bound securely to it.

They were going to burn her at the stake. "You couldn't think of anything more original? If you chant 'burn the witch' I am going to have to dock points."

"Silence whore!" Little John yelled. "You are here to pay for your crimes. We have had enough of your cruelty. No more!" The Merry Men cheered. "Robin asked us to give you a chance, but he is blind to what you are, to what you will always be! You are the embodiment of evil, Queen Regina!"

She was too tired for this; the drugs from the arrow still had most of her body in its thrall. She wiggled her fingers trying to get the feeling back.

"So long as you live" He continued, "You are a threat to our friend and the world. After this day you will never hurt Lady Marian or anyone else ever again."

Another man stepped forward and handed Little John the lit torch. Friar Tuck's eyes raged but he bowed slightly when he addressed her. "Any last words, Your Majesty?"

Regina could only sigh. "You're all idiots."

Little John threw the torch at the foot of the pile of wood. The Merry Men backed away enough to keep clear of the flames. Smoke billowed into the sky as the fire grew.

The stubborn mayor considered staring down the men, but no, they would not be her last sight. She closed her eyes tightly and thought of Tinker Bell, her friend the fairy, who was eating her out of house and home. She thought of Snow, and David, and Baby Neal. She thought of Ruby, and hoped Emma had left her a decent tip at breakfast. She thought of her son and the little girl she hoped was still blissfully asleep in the bed that had always felt too big. She thought of the special idiot, who she knew in her heart, would keep them safe. She could only hope Emma was smart enough to keep herself safe as well.

…

Emma bounced up and down in her seat as her car drove on the unpaved road. She should have probably worn a seatbelt.

She had seen the smoke in the sky. It was a beacon of hope leading her to Regina, but it instilled such dread that she was already too late.

Emma took a sharp left going off the road between two trees. The Bug barely made it through the gap with the sacrifice of a side mirror. She was so close she could smell the smoke. She gunned it again. The tires threw mud as they drove against the wet forest floor.

"Seriously!?" Emma yelled. Under different circumstances she might have laughed, but now the chant she heard of 'burn the witch' only made her furious.

The chanting didn't stop as her car entered the clearing and her foot didn't move from the accelerator. The flames were high. She could barely make out Regina's figure. Emma's heart clenched, but she refused to believe she was too late.

The car skidded in the grass when she finally hit the break. She turned the wheel fully to keep the car from going too far. The Merry Men scattered as it headed right for them. The car slid to a complete stop bumping into the Men who weren't fast enough to get out of the way.

Emma didn't have time for them. She grabbed her city issued fire extinguisher from the back seat and hurried to the flames.

The flames died and smoke rose with every blast from the extinguisher. Emma squeezed the lever until it puffed empty.

She stood in front of the smoke and waited.

Tears formed in her eyes when she could finally see. The fire extinguisher dropped from her hand.

Regina stood there with her eyes closed tight, her fingers wiggling at her side, and a transparent barrier shined around her. Sweat soaked the mayor's hair and ran down her face, but she was alive. Emma wasn't too late.

A relieved smile grew on the blonde's face. "Regina…"

Regina's eyes opened hesitantly as if she didn't believe what she had heard. "Emma." She gasped exhausted. Her fingers stopped their motion and the barrier dropped instantly. Her head bobbed forward without the strength to hold it up.

The mayor's eyes grew wide, it was her only warning.

The Merry Men sprung to action and tackled Emma to the ground. She swung a wild fist and connected with the jaw of the first, but two others took his place and kept her on the ground. She fought and struggled, but it wasn't enough. The Merry Men piled on until she could not move.

Pressure built up inside her chest. Failing here would cost Regina's life. It was unacceptable. A frustrated scream escaped her, and with it released a blast of magic that sent the doggie pile of Merry Men up and away in every direction.

Emma scattered to her feet to get to the mayor as men fell all around, but she didn't make it off her knees.

"Enough!" Little John intercepted her path with a sword.

She gulped against the cold blade at her throat. "You're making a mistake."

"The only mistake we've made is letting her live this long. Marian is hurt because we did not act sooner."

"Regina had nothing to do with it! Marian attacked her, but it wasn't Regina's fault."

"There is no point trying to lie for her, we know she used magic." He applied more pressure to the blade against her throat accusingly.

"It wasn't her! It was an accident."

"No! They said the magic flung her back, precision is not an accident."

"Sarahbella, my…ward. She was just trying to protect Regina. She didn't mean to hurt anyone."

The big man removed the sword and replace with a swift kick to Emma's stomach. Emma toppled over in pain. "Do you take us for fools? Children do not have that kind of power!"

"I was there." Emma grunted as she got back to her knees. "It's what happened."

"The queen has her claws in you too, doesn't she? You are just as blind as Robin. She'll never stop hunting Marian."

"She's not hunting anyone!"

"You can't see what's right in front of you!" He pointed an angery finger at Regina as he stared down at Emma. "That is the face of a desolate woman. She knows Robin is her only hope and she can't stand that she will never have him, she will never have love!"

"I liked you better when you were a monkey." He obviously wasn't going to listen, so she just did the only rational thing left to do and rushed to her feet to gut check him with her shoulder. She relieved him of his sword as he stumbled and fell. She reversed their roles and brought the sword to his neck. "Let her go, or I swear I will kill every single one of you."

He laughed darkly from his place on the ground. "Rulers and their pet sheriffs."

Dozens of arrows were trained on her and Regina. It would be a good time to have full control of her magic. She looked back at the mayor whose eyes were filled with desperation.

"Just leave me." She whispered urgently.

"Never." Emma promised. She could only hope her powers decided to manifest before she and Regina were turned into human pin cushions.

Her grip tightened around the sword's hilt as she heard bow strings being drawn back.

Lights flashed in her peripheral vision. "Nobody move!" Mulan's voice came over the police cruiser's loud speaker. Emma let out a sigh of relief. The cavalry had arrived.

Ruby, David, and Mulan stopped their cars in a line between them and the rest of the Merry Men. Reluctantly, Emma let Little John get up at Mulan's insistence. Whatever the Merry Men though of Emma they respected the warrior.

"Regina is innocent." Mulan told him.

Little John laughed. "You must not be familiar with the Queen."

"In this," Mulan affirmed. "She is innocent. Robin told me himself."

"Of course he did."

Mulan narrowed her eyes. "If you do not believe either of us, you can ask Marian yourself."

"You expect us to believe a child defended the Evil Queen?"

The warrior nodded, "It is what Robin said." She took the sword from Emma and walked back to the bound mayor.

Little John eyed the blonde. "We will not harm a child. Just keep your family away from ours."

"Oh screw you! My family didn't start this mess." She got to Regina in time to catch her when Mulan cut the ropes. "In fact, you're all under arrest."

"For what?"

"Pre-meditated attempted murder and assault of a government official, false imprisonment, assault and battery of a police officer, breaking and entering, property damage… "

Ruby came over to help support Regina as Emma went on and read them their Miranda Rights. "You look like crap, Mayor Mills."

"Thank you dear."

* * *

Regina pulled the covers over her head. She was still suffering from residual effects that made her weak. She had expended too much energy showering and getting redressed just to crawl into bed. She had considered just collapsing on to the floor and just waiting for her energy to return, but if someone found her that way it would only restart the argument of needing to see a doctor. She didn't need a doctor. She needed a nap, and possibly an IV but she would make due with several glasses of water. She peeked the top of her head out from under her blankets. There was a glass of water siting on her nightstand that could possibly help quench her never ending thirst.

If only it weren't so far.

A light tapping on the door drew her back under the covers. She could pretend to be asleep and whoever it was would go away. It was probably Henry though, come to worry over her some more. He didn't need to see her like this, although, he could help with the water situation. She sighed. Her thirst outweighed her pride.

"Who –" Her voice rasped. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Who is it?"

"It's Emma."

The mayor rolled her eyes. Emma was the last person she wanted to see. "Go away."

"And Sarah." Emma sung.

Curse the blonde and her bribery, Regina couldn't turn Sarahbella away. She gouged her way up and out of the covers, and was slightly out of breath as she settled against the headboard. "Come in."

Emma frowned as she entered the room with Sarah on her hip. "God Regina, how can you look worse?"

"You really know how to charm a girl."

The blonde's frown managed to deepen. "Sarah, why don't you go get a book from Henry's room and let me talk to Gina for a bit okay?"

Sarahbella looked between both women seriously before nodding her head in agreement. Emma put her down and she ran off.

Regina waited until the little girl was out of earshot. "Don't ever call me Gina."

"You let Sarah do it."

"Yes, but I actually like her."

Emma sighed deeply in her place by the door. She frowned at the floor before returning to Regina. "I really think you should see a doctor."

"I'm –"

"No." Emma said sternly. "Do not say you're fine, Regina. You almost died!"

"You want to talk about almost dying?" The mayor's anger grew. "Why don't we discuss your idiocy?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, Miss Swan, you should have gotten out of there while you had the chance! You could have been killed!"

"I wasn't going to leave you! Henry would never forgive me if I let something happen to you."

"And having no parents to forgive is a better option?"

Emma scoffed. "We would have been fine! My magic would have kicked in!"

"What if it hadn't, and what if Mulan hadn't gotten there in time!? You still have no idea what you're doing! I will not allow you to die for me or _with_ me for that matter!"

"Well that's fine, because you're not allowed to die at all!"

Regina scoffed.

"I'm serious! You scared the crap out of me!" Anger and concern shone from Emma.

The mayor didn't understand. Everything always felt like a game with Emma. She did not expect to find genuine concern. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to live." She came closer to the bed ridden mayor. "Really live. Not locked away in this mansion. You don't owe Robin anything. It's your town and you're missing out on everything, and it's missing out on you. You don't have to hide. You don't have to be alone anymore."

Regina closed her eyes to rest them for a second. It would seem the quickest way out of this conversation was with the truth. She opened her eyes so the sheriff could see the honesty in them. "I don't feel alone. Not here." She punctuated. "With Henry, and having Sarahbella around…even with having to see your obnoxious face so often… my life has never felt so full."

A smiled finally bloomed on that obnoxious face.

"I really am fine. It may have started as hiding from Robin, but I've discovered, this is where my life is. This is what I've been looking for, a home with people I care about. I don't have to go anywhere because you all eventually come back to me."

Emma let out a long breath. "I really want to hug you right now."

"Not if you want to live." The growing rasp in Regina's voice was enough to call the blonde to action. She handed the mayor the glass of water. Regina gave the blonde a small smile of appreciation and drank it down.

Emma put the empty glass back and then just stood there studying Regina. She didn't talk until the brunette raised a questioning eyebrow. "Little John is full of crap, you know. Forget soul mates, and truelove, or whatever. Robin wasn't your only chance. His loss is someone else's gain."

"Hm." Regina hummed noncommittally.

Sarahbella came running in with a book in hand. She tried to use the bed sheets as purchase to climb onto the bed, but the blonde took pity on her and helped her up. The little girl took the book and bonded to Regina's lap. "You read."

Regina opened the book and just the thought of having to look at words exhausted her.

"Hey Sarah, I think Regina's still tired. Why don't you read it to her?"

"Okay!" The little brunette took the book in both hands and stared down at the first page. Her face scrunched up with a disappointed pout. "I can't read."

Regina smiled in amusement. "I guess Emma will have to read it to us."

"Yeah!" The little girl cheered.

"Uh…here?" Emma questioned.

"Yes." Regina responded plainly.

"In your bed?" The pink started appear on her cheeks.

"Is something wrong with my bed?" The mayor played coy.

"Well…it's your bed."

"Mommies share beds!" Sarahbella announced.

"Yes, dear, come to bed." She patted the empty space next to her.

Emma grumbled, but she crawled in next to the teasing mayor with the toddler in her lap. Sarahbella pulled on her arm until the women were hip to hip and they could all get a good look at the pictures as Emma read.

"Where's Henry?" Regina asked.

"Making dinner. I offered to help, but he's determined to do it on his own. Tink says she's supervising, but I think she's mostly just eating all the cheese."

Regina sighed. "She does that."

Emma turned to look at the mayor. "Why is she living here again?"

"Emma, book!" The little girl demanded.

"Okay, okay."

Emma began the story of the brave knight who was afraid of heights. She did a different voice for every character and kept things interesting with sound effects.

Regina resisted, but her eyes grew heavier than she could stand and her head bobbed. She was fast asleep before her body toppled over and her head found rest on the sheriff's shoulder. Unconsciously, she snuggled in and finally started her rest to recovery.

…

Emma didn't want to move. She missed out on her son's cooking just to sit there being Regina's pillow. She held on to one of Regina's hand in her own and with her other carefully traced the rope burn on the sleeping woman's wrist.

She was still angry at the Merry Men. Forgiveness was probably part of the whole Savoir business. It was technically a misunderstanding, but Emma wasn't perfect, so they could go to hell. Maybe the mayor really was fine, but the physical evidence of the ordeal gave the sheriff the urge to get in the police cruiser and run them all down.

At least Regina finally met Mulan, Emma laughed at herself. She'd have to wait until later to tease her.

Emma tucked a strand of brunette hair behind the mayor's ear. She may have looked terrible, but she was still terribly beautiful, a feat only a former Evil Queen could accomplish. There is a lot Emma doesn't understand about her co-parent, but when Regina decides to reveal more of herself, Emma can feel her heart pounding away in her chest.

Emma finally figured it out. Regina and her could never be friends, because they're more than that. They're family. Because family is forever.

There was a knock on the door and Henry came in. He eyed his two mothers who looked cozy in bed together. He shook his head and let it go. "Blue's here. She said she won't leave until she talks to you." He told his blonde mother.

"What about?"

He shrugged. "She just said it's important."

Emma sighed. Duty calls.

When she finally managed to maneuver the exhausted woman off herself, she found Blue and two other fairy nuns in the foyer. Tink was standing at the other end with Sarah shooting them death glares.

"Princess Emma, good." Blue didn't wait for pleasantries. "We need to discuss the child. I fear you could be in danger."

"Right…" Emma was skeptical. "You're too late; she already drew on the walls."

"This is serious. She has dark magic."

Emma looked to Tink and Sarahbella. The little girl hid behind the fairy's legs. Tinker Bell took Emma's hint and ushered her away.

"So?" Emma turned back to them.

"That magic is evil. You cannot trust her."

"She's three!" Emma tried not to yell, but her voice came out exasperated.

"I believe it is in your best interest if Sarahbella comes with us. We can keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else."

"Maybe she did use dark magic, but that doesn't make her evil. She wanted Marian to stop hurting someone she loves. What part of that is evil?"

"She could have killed her." Blue emphasized. "A toddler should not have that kind of power. There is darkness within her. She is corrupted."

"Screw you." Screw everything; Emma had had enough bullshit for one day. "Get out."

"Emma you need to listen."

"You need to get out, before I force you out." The sheriff took an intimidating step towards them. They took a step back.

"It's only a matter of time before she kills someone."

Emma's eyes narrowed in disgust. She took another step, and the fairy's followed suit. It seemed to be working so she kept at it until the 3 fairy nuns were on the other side of the heavy plastic sheet of a temporary door.

"You're making a mistake, Emma." Blue tried one last time.

Emma shook her head and left them with parting words as she closed the plastic curtain. "Fuck off."


	8. Chapter 8

The sound of the mayor's heels clicking against the linoleum floors echoed in the sheriff's station. It was a welcome break from the hours of utter silence. Being the sheriff of a small town was kind of boring without some big bad trying to kill everyone. Although the paper work did manage to pile up anyway, but that had more to do with multiple arrests of the Not-so Merry Men, who were on town clean up duty for the foreseeable future.

Emma watched as Regina stopped in the empty bullpen and took a look around. The brunette had a cup of coffee from Granny's in each hand. Emma smiled with the thought that one of them was for her. She could really use the pick-me-up in both forms of caffeine and the brunette's company.

Emma only got to drink half her coffee that morning. It somehow made its way out of the window as she drove past the Merry Men doing community service. The coffee may or may have not splashed all over Little John. What a bad coffee.

"Sheriff." Regina greeted as she entered Emma's office.

"Madame Mayor." Emma raised an eyebrow when Regina glanced back into the bullpen. "Looking for something?"

"Is Mulan here?"

"She's on patrol."

Regina seemed to finally give the sheriff her full attention. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

The sheriff's hope sank; suddenly feeling like neither the coffee nor Regina was there for her. "Not for a while. Why?" Regina did have two coffees and she knew for a fact Emma would be there, so the blonde let herself hold on to a strand of hope.

"I wanted to thank her for coming to my rescue."

"I did most of the work."

"Did you?" The mayor smirked and took a sip from one of the coffees.

Emma frowned. No coffee for her then. "Yeah, you're welcome." She grumbled. All Mulan did was tell the Merry Men to cut it out. Emma actually put her life on the line and got no thanks at all, while Mulan gets coffee AND a visit from Regina. Life was cruel and unjust.

Regina eyed the second coffee in her hand. "I suppose this is yours." She set it down on the desk in front of Emma, but she didn't want the coffee anymore. It probably tastes like lies and treason. She pushed it away.

"You don't want it?" Regina wandered around in the small office not really paying any mind to Emma.

"Mulan isn't even that great!" Emma snapped. She didn't need to drink the coffee to taste the betrayal on her tongue. It crawled its way into her heart.

The mayor grinned wickedly back at her. "Drink the coffee, Miss Swan."

She pushed it further away for emphasis.

"It's just coffee."

But it wasn't just coffee. It was a gift meant for someone else. Emma just happened to be there. She didn't want to accept anything from Regina if it wasn't sincere. A tinge of annoyance grew inside her. The mayor didn't even know Mulan, but she was going out of her way to do nice things for her.

Regina pushed the coffee towards the blonde before making her way towards the door. "Don't be late for dinner. We're having take-out."

The sheriff's brow furrowed in disbelief. "Chinese!?"

The mayor chuckled darkly and walked away.

Somehow the whole Mulan situation had gotten away from her. Emma was the one supposed to be teasing Regina about her, but now it had just turned into Emma feeling replaced. The sheriff wondered if it was too late to fire Mulan.

She sighed as she watched Regina make her way out. At least the view was nice.

…

It wasn't long after until the great Mulan graced the station with her presence. She came in with a handcuffed Leroy in tow. The sheriff rolled her eyes with new found resentment. It wasn't the warrior's fault, but Emma couldn't help how she felt.

The coffee continued to taunt her as Mulan locked Leroy in the cell. The warrior turned and nodded at her boss as she made her way over to the office. Emma tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace.

The deputy leaned on the door frame as she addressed the sheriff. "I ran into Regina."

Emma's hand drifted to the coffee cup on her desk. She took the cup in both hands protectively. It may have been meant for Mulan, but it was hers now.

"She seems to have recovered well."

The sheriff avoided eye contact. "Did she…say anything?

The warrior woman raised an eyebrow at her strange boss. "Nothing of merit."

Emma huffed. Mulan was probably used to being everybody's hero. Praise form Regina meant nothing.

"She did mention she came to see you. Is that from her?" She asked about the coffee in Emma's clutches.

She finally looked at her subordinate and was annoyed to only find genuine curiosity, but if Mulan didn't know then maybe Regina hadn't mentioned it, and there was no reason for her to. "Yup, coffee. My coffee."

She brought it to her lips and the moment the coffee touched her tongue she knew it was just the way she liked it; warm, strong, and with far too much sugar. She smiled wide as she took the cup from her mouth. She turned it in her hand and found four letters that broadened her smile. 'Emma' was written on the back. It tasted like her usual order because it was. Regina brought her coffee, and only made her think it was meant for Mulan.

Why did Regina have to be so mean when she was being nice?

Emma's need to hug that woman had been growing incessantly. Her heart fluctuated as it grew to a new level.

"Regina brought me coffee." Her smile turned goofy.

"I see that." Mulan smiled back. She might have been concerned for the sheriff, but she had seen that smile many times before. She didn't have to ask what it was for, or, better yet, who it was for.

* * *

Emma didn't know what she had been thinking. The flowers seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, standing in front of the mansion's new door waiting for someone to answer, she felt like an even bigger idiot than usual. She only bought roses because she knew nothing about flowers and everything else seemed lame. The curious looks she got in the flower shop suddenly made sense.

Her eyes widen when she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. In her panic she tossed the bouquet of roses over her shoulder before the door fully opened.

Henry smiled up at her, none the wiser.

"Hey kid." She stretched and made herself as big as possible to block his view of any evidence behind her.

He ignored any awkwardness on her part and let her in. Henry led her into the living room where Tink and Sarah were engrossed in an animated movie. Emma chuckled when she recognized it and saw the collection of Tinker Bell movies on the coffee table. "Really Tink?"

Tink only offered her a glance before turning back to the movie. "It was a gift. Ruby gave them to me."

"I thought you hated her."

She waved a hand dismissively. "That was last week."

Mother and son looked to each other with equal amounts of confusion. "Do girls ever get easier to understand?" Henry asked.

Emma let out a long breath. "I'll let you know."

She found the mayor in her study, staring out the window with a slight frown on her face. The sheriff felt a new pang of guilt at seeing the mauled apple tree out there. She could add that to the pile of things she'd taken from Regina, even if it was only a branch.

"Hey." Emma greeted sheepishly.

"Close the door, Miss Swan." The mayor didn't turn from the window.

Emma already didn't like where this was going. She closed the door and stepped further into the room to wait impatiently for further instructions. "Is something wrong?"

"We have a problem. Mother Superior has petitioned the Council for custody of Sarahbella."

"They can do that?"

"They did, and the council listened." Regina finally turned to face her. "Blue convinced them she's the only one that can keep Sarah from using her magic for evil. They are fear mongering the town to get what they want."

Emma's face contorted, disgusted. "You're just going to let them take her from us!?"

"Of course not!" The mayor defended. "I wouldn't let those fairies near her!"

"How can they think she's so bad? They don't even know her."

"People are sheep, Miss Swan. They are afraid of what they don't understand. The fairies offer a false sense of security by offering to control her."

"What are we going to do?"

"I bought us some time. The council agreed to let us find her family."

"Regina, that's not helping! I couldn't find him, and how is he a better option!?"

"Forget about him! I believe we are in agreement when I say whoever this Uncle monster is, he is never getting his hands on her ever again."

"Then who's left? What's your big evil plan!?"

Regina glared.

"Big regular plan, you know what I mean."

"Henry brought up the idea some time ago, but I wasn't ready to listen."

Emma gulped knowing her son's ideas always changed everything.

"I should have, because he was right." She picked up a file from her desk and handed it to the blonde.

Emma's eyes snapped up to the mayor's after reading the headline. "Adoption papers?"

"They can't take her if she's legally yours."

"Regina…" Emma was at a loss for words.

"As much as it pains me to admit, you're Sarah's best chance. You already love her the way she deserves to be loved."

"You love her just as much. Why am I her best chance?"

"She has dark magic. You're the Savior, the product of True Love, and the embodiment of everything good. I am the opposite of all of those things. The town would rip her away from me if I so much as dreamed." The sadness returned to the mayor's eyes, but she pretended to take it all in stride.

Emma captured one of Regina's hands in her own. "I know it's ironic coming from me, but no one is taking anything or anyone from you ever again. I swear I will always fight for you, even if I have to fight myself from getting in the way of your happy ending."

Regina sighed. "I never held that against you." She admitted. "You were just being your charming self, always trying to do the right thing."

Emma just stared.

"What?"

"Do you mean Charming like my dad, or…you think I'm charming?"

Regina had to process the question before answering. "Your father, of course."

Emma didn't buy it for a second. She grinned wide and happy, and wrapped up the mayor in a bear hug. She lifted the smaller woman and spun her around.

"Miss Swan, I understand you have your genetic setbacks, but this is excessive even for you."

The sheriff stopped her spinning and tilted her head back to look at the mayor.

"Put me down."

Emma shook her head. "Can't. You have to hug me back first."

"That isn't going to happen."

"Those are the rules. I can wait."

"Then I hope you have impeccable stamina."

Emma continued her grin. "That I do Madame Mayor." She tightened her hold around the woman.

Regina grunted and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine." She wrapped her arms around the sheriff's shoulders and leaned into the embrace.

The world fell away and left them only with each other. Both women closed their eyes and held on, even as Regina's feet met the floor. The embraced spoke volumes of what neither woman was brave enough to say.

Regina readjusted and brought a hand to Emma's heart. They separated enough to look into each other's eyes. Green stared into brown, and brown back into green.

Emma's lips tugged up nervously.

Regina pushed her away.

The mayor cleared her throat and went back to her desk where she picked up a small piece of paper. She returned to the frowning blonde to hand it to her. "I pulled some strings, but you'll need to get in touch with my contact in the governor's office to have Sarah's adoption officiated."

…

The doorbell rang repeatedly and the household tensed in front the TV as the ringing exchanged for a pounding on the door. They relaxed again when they heard Snow White's shrill voice call through the door. "Emma Swan, I know you're in there!"

"What did you do?" Henry asked from his place on the floor.

"Nothing!" No one believed her. "That she knows about!"

Regina smirked and moved Sarah from her lap to Emma's so she could get up and answer the door.

"Oh hi Regina." Snow's voice carried into the living room. "Someone left these for you."

Emma's heart stopped. She had already forgotten about the flowers. She dropped Sarah into Henry's lap and hurried to intercept her mother, but by the time she got there Regina was already reading the card.

"Who are they from?" Snow asked eagerly.

Emma held her breath as Regina handed over the card.

"Not Mulan? Who would sign a card that way?"

"An extraordinary idiot."

Both women looked up to find Emma watching them.

"Emma Swan!" Her mother yelled. "What is wrong with you!?"

Emma frowned. She didn't expect her mother to react so poorly. They were just flowers.

"I just ran in to Mother Superior. Do you have any idea what she told me!?"

Oh, that. Now the rage made sense. She should have known the blue fairy was a snitch.

Regina looked almost shy as she walked passed her with the bouquet of roses. Emma smiled at the sight. The flowers weren't such a bad idea after all.

"Emma!"

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady! Explain yourself."

"Mom," Emma groaned. "She deserved it."

"You slammed a door in a nuns face!"

"It was a curtain!"

"You were excessively rude. She only wants to help."

"She wants to take Sarah!"

"She only wants to help her on the right path. Emma, she has dark magic. You know what that does to people."

"I know what it's like to grow up with people who think you're scum."

Snow hurt for her daughter, but she had to make her see reason. "Nobody thinks that about Sarah."

"Blue called her evil and corrupted!"

"She's just concerned. We don't know what Sarah is."

"She's a baby!"

"But where did she come from? We were here for months before you found her. Where was she before that?"

"With her uncle."

"Then where is he?"

"I don't know, dead maybe. If he wanted her back he would have shown up by now. Who cares!?"

"You should! She's powerful Emma! Don't you want to know why? You need to find answers."

"I looked okay! I couldn't find anything!"

"And how hard did you look? How hard did you even try? You fell in love with that little girl the moment she came into your life. You don't want to know who she really is because you're too caught up wanting to keep her for yourself!"

There was some truth to Snow words. After discovering Sarah's home life was less than ideal Emma had stopped looking altogether. She simply focused on making sure the little brunette was happy and healthy, and in that matter she had succeed.

"I'm adopting her." Emma blurted.

Snow couldn't believe her daughter. "What if she still has family out there?"

"Sarah only ever knew her uncle. If he even was her uncle. She'll have a good life with me, surrounded by people who love her, every part of her. Even if the dark magic becomes a problem Sarah has the best person to help her with it in her corner."

"Oh Emma, I really hope you know what you're doing."

"I do." Emma smiled as her mother finally came around.

"You still need to apologize to Blue."

"Mm." The blonde pressed her lips together. "No."

* * *

Emma crawled into bed next to Sarahbella, back in her parent's apartment. She really needed to work on finding her own place, but that was a problem for another day. Her mother was still angry about Emma's rudeness towards Blue, but Emma was too excited to worry about that either. In a few short days Sarahbella would become Sarahbella Swan.

She tossed and turned, eventually giving up and picking up her phone. She thumbed through the dozens of pictures she'd collected since Sarah had entered her life. She had become quite snap happy.

The latest was a family selfie on Regina's couch with the children squished in between the two women.

Emma's eyes narrowed and she brought the phone right above her face to take a better look.

She had to relent. The others were right. Regina and Sarahbella did have similar features, although, that didn't necessarily mean anything.

She moved on with the slide show and had to stifle her laugh when she got to the pictures of Henry and Sarah's tea party. The toddler somehow convinced her brother-to-be to dress up in Regina's clothes and jewelry.

She continued her trip down memory lane.

Her eyes grew wide when she came to the picture from the diner. Regina had that smile she'd come to know so well. The one that always said 'I'm better than you, and you're an idiot Miss Swan.' What surprised her was seeing the same smile on Sarah's face. No amount of denial or explaining it away could make her un-see it. They had the exact same smile. Sarah looked just like Regina. They could actually be related.

The phone slipped from Emma's grasp and landed hard on her face. "Crap!"

* * *

**A/N Geez Emma took you long enough.  
**

**I thought writing would get easier as I went along, silly me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support. You all make it easier to pretend to know what I'm doing. Special shout out to MangoCrayon and BlueTigress, you guys keep coming back and it makes my face do this thing :D  
**

**There's still a few chapters before Rumple shows up, but things keep changing from what i actually planned so we'll see what happens.**

**One last thing, this chapter was edited by my 13 year old sister (so any mistakes are her fault this time) Thanks kid!**


	9. Chapter 9

Emma pushed her egg breakfast around on her plate unable to find her appetite. The long night showed on her face. The bags under her eyes accompanied the bruise on her forehead. They shouldn't make phones so heavy.

Snow, David, and Emma sat at the table while baby Neal was still asleep, and Sarah was occupied watching early morning cartoons with a plate of apple slices. The day had just begun and the little girl was making it impossible to forget the resemblance to the mayor.

"Is everything alright?" Snow asked her daughter who had yet to take a bite of breakfast.

Emma looked up at her parents. They stared back at her patiently waiting for an answer. If she was going to confide in someone it might as well be her parents. "Do you guys think Sarah looks like Regina?"

Her parents looked at each other for a moment before her father spoke. "Well we weren't going to say anything..."

"Ruby mentioned you were a bit sensitive about it." Her mother added.

Emma frowned. "No I'm not."

"She said you accused her of being racist and then convinced her to sniff Regina, and then you laughed when Regina caught her."

"Okay, that's completely taken out of context."

"Is that not what happened?"

Emma sighed, not really being able to deny it. She leaned into the table to lower her voice as she spoke to her parents. "But there's no way they can actually be related right?"

"Stranger things have happened."

David nodded in agreement and swallowed a mouth full of toast. "Just look at Henry's family tree. Regina having a daughter would be the least complicated part of it."

"Daughter? Really? You don't think they could just be distant cousins or something?"

"It's possible." Her mother told her gently. "Just as possible that they're not related at all."

"But she would know." Emma reasoned. "If Regina had a daughter she would have to have been there for the pregnancy right? She would have to know."

"Sweetie, you're talking to people who have had their memories played with on more than one occasion. You know just as much as we do that anything is possible."

The sheriff frowned again. Having parents wasn't so great when they told her the opposite of everything she wanted to hear. She couldn't go through with the adoption now, not without answers, not without being certain.

"Can I borrow your truck?" Emma asked her father.

"My truck?" David was surprised. "I don't see why not."

"Thanks Dad. There's something I have to do." The sheriff finally took her first bite of breakfast and got up to pack a bag for herself and Sarahbella.

…

"I'm sorry, you're what?" Regina was already annoyed; it was far too early for this.

"I'm going back to New York to pack up the apartment."

"It's the middle of the week."

"Can I come?" Henry asked from his place at the counter, around a mouth full of cereal.

"No." Both his mothers said in unison. He rolled his eyes. They were always united when it was against him.

"Why does it have to be right this second? What about work? What about Sarah?"

"I stay here!" Sarah announced. She let go of Emma's hand to hug Regina's legs.

"If that's okay." Emma added.

Regina placed a hand on the little girl's head affectionately. "Of course."

"Why can't I go?" Henry complained. "What about my stuff?"

"I'll take care of it."

"It's not fair! What about my friends? I want to go say goodbye."

"I'm sorry Henry you have school. I cannot condone truancy." Regina tried to settle him.

"It's not truancy if I have permission!" He argued.

"Perhaps you can convince your mother to go on the weekend like a normal person."

Emma stopped him before he could start. "I have to do it before then, or I lose my deposit." She lied.

"Please Mom." Henry pleaded. "I'm already ahead in my classes." He brought out his puppy eyes. "It won't affect my grades, I promise."

The mayor sighed giving in. "I suppose someone needs to keep an eye on Miss Swan."

"Really?" Emma and Henry asked at the same time. Henry was much more excited about it. Emma hadn't anticipated Regina giving in so easily, or at all. Regina's trust in the blonde must have grown exponentially. It would have been touching if she didn't now have to think of an excuse to keep him here.

"I'll go get ready!" Henry ran off.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emma tried. "What if he misses something important?"

The mayor eyed her suddenly suspicious. "Why don't you want him to go with you?"

"What? I do, I just…" Emma's mind went blank. She had no excuses prepared and she was far too tired to think on her feet. But an excuse to an entirely different dilemma came to her. "No, you're right, it's fine." She started backing out of the kitchen. "I'm just going to go make sure Henry packs all the necessities." She turned and hurried away.

Regina looked down at the little girl at her side. "Emma's strange isn't she?"

Sarah giggled.

The coast was clear. Henry was occupied in his room gather his things for the trip, and Regina was busy with Sarah downstairs. Emma crept down the hallway, careful of alerting anyone to her position. She opened the door to Regina's room and was immediately distracted by the elegantly arranged roses sitting on the bedside table. Emma smiled. She had wondered what the mayor had done with them. She was almost overwhelmed that they ended up in a place so intimate.

The sheriff shook herself out of it, remembering why she had come into the room to begin with. She had a plan. She was going to take a trip back to New York to pack up her apartment, but she was going to see an old friend about some DNA testing along the way. It had to be done by someone she trusted, it was the only way she could be sure, and control the information. She already had a swab of the toddler's DNA, she just needed a sample from the mayor.

She went into the en suite bathroom were the mayor's DNA should have been plentiful. The bathroom was exceedingly clean. It reminded Emma she still needs to ask Regina about using magic to do chores. There was no way the brunette didn't cheat.

Emma took an evidence bag from her pocket and got to work.

She checked every brush and comb she could find. There wasn't a single hair on any of them. She resorted to searching the floor, the shower, and the bathroom mat. Nothing.

Emma had to give up on the bathroom and went back into the bedroom. She eyed the bed, taking a mental picture so she could put everything back the way she found it.

She checked the pillows first, and then one by one carefully peeled back the blankets.

Henry came in through the partly open door. "What are you doing?" He asked his mother.

She jumped away from the bed immediately and hid both hands behind her back. "Nothing." She tried to sound casual, but found she couldn't look at him.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"Then what are you hiding?"

Emma sighed. She didn't know why she even tried. She brought out her hands to reveal the evidence bag.

Henry's eyes narrowed with anger. "Whatever you think she did, she didn't do it. She was framed! Or -"

"Whoa kid, it's not like that. I don't think she did anything either."

"Then why are you in here?"

She pursed her lips together and instructed him to close the door. "I need a DNA sample from your mom."

The gears visibly turned in his head. His confused expression slowly became a wide grin. "I knew it!"

Emma hushed him. "Maybe. I'm not sure of anything."

"I am! Sarah's my little sister!"

"Or your cousin, or your aunt, or your great-great grandmother, or just someone that happens to look like your mom. We don't know yet."

Henry remembered Peter Pan was his great grandfather; it would only be kind of weird if Sarah turned out to be an old person too. "So you need her DNA to find out?"

"Exactly, but your mom is a witch and doesn't leave any anywhere."

Henry rolled his eyes in that way that told her she was dumb, but he wasn't dumb enough to say so out loud. He went into the bathroom and reemerged with a toothbrush in hand. He waved it at his blonde mother. "Duh."

"We can't just take her toothbrush. She'll notice."

"Why don't you just tell her?"

"I'd rather not get her hopes up. She's already lost enough family."

"I guess you're right." The boy conceded. "She won't know we took it though. There's no reason to suspect us."

Emma let her son take the evidence bag from her and put the toothbrush in. It's not like she had any better ideas.

They went back downstairs with the toothbrush securely packed away in Henry's backpack.

The goodbyes were hard. Regina gave Henry an extra-long hug, and Emma smothered Sarahbella in kisses. When they switched, Henry gave Sarah a big hug and Emma waved awkwardly at Regina.

They started to walk away, but Sarah stopped them. "Emma!" The little girl called. "You have to say goodbye!" She pointed up at Regina.

"I did."

"With kisses!" She poked herself in the cheek repeatedly to get the point across.

Both women looked down at Sarah and then back at each other with equal amounts of surprise. Then Regina smirked, daring Emma to do as the toddler demanded.

Emma took careful steps and leaned in. She gave a quick peck to Regina's cheek and turned around fast enough to give everyone whiplash. She grabbed Henry by the shoulders and ushered him away in front of her. "Okay, bye!"

"Bye Emma! Bye Henny!" Sarahbella waved excitedly, while the mayor looked on in bewildered astonishment.

"I got it!" Henry announced as they pulled away in the truck. "Operation Maybe Baby!"

"Really kid?"

He shrugged. "It's the best I could do."

* * *

Regina decided to take a page from Emma and Henry's book to play hooky with Sarahbella. She gave Tink the day off too. The fairy had recently discovered _Doctor Who_ so she was in no condition to babysit anyway.

The two brunettes spent the morning going over the alphabet. Sarah was a fast learner when she set her mind to it, but she did struggle to remember the existence of Q. They sat together on the floor with an array of papers and crayons spread out on the coffee table in front of them.

Regina wrote on a new piece of paper and slid it in front of the little girl. "Do you know what this says?"

"Henny!" The little girl said gleefully.

"Close." Regina told her with a smile. "But there's an 'R' here, so it says Henry."

Sarah frowned at the opposing letter.

"You're right, Henny is much better." The mayor took the paper back to scribble out Henry and rewrite it as Henny.

Sarah grinned up at Regina in satisfaction. She took the paper back and drew out a rough figure that was supposed to be Henry. The paper was almost too small to handle how big she made him. She drew a tiny version of herself holding on to Henry's big crayon hand.

"Done!" She added it to the pile of other drawings. She looked back at Regina expectantly.

At the rate they were going, they were going to run out of people for Sarah to name and draw. They had already gone through the Charming Clan and Mills Household.

The mayor wrote down another name and slid it over.

Sarahbella focused on the big 'R' like an old war enemy. "Red?" She finally guessed.

"Ruby."

"Miss Lucas." Sarah said sharply.

Regina stared down at her almost certain she was being mocked. When Sarah noticed she gave the woman a big toothy grin.

The little brunette picked up a red crayon and drew a wolf. She added herself into the picture as she had with all the others. She pulled her crayon back, but stared at it instead of declaring it finished. She eyed the paper with the written alphabet and then looked back up at Regina. "How do I write 'No eating people'?"

…

Henry and Emma rode the elevator down. Emma assured him her fancy doctor friend could help. She had called her from the car and asked the doctor if they could drop by, on their way to New York, for 'help with a case'. The woman on the other side of the phone seemed to have a lot of questions for his mom, but Emma was adept at avoiding all of them.

The elevator came to a stop. Henry followed his mom out and down the quite hallway. She seemed to know where she was going and tried to hide her face from some of the people in lab coats they passed. It didn't always work. She received enough dirty looks to make Henry raise questions of his own.

They came to an open door, but Emma knocked before stepping in. The woman sitting at the desk looked up and smiled. "Emma."

"Hi." Henry's mom said sheepishly. The fancy doctor got up to greet her guests. Her dress was skin tight and her heels did things to her legs that Henry didn't understand. Her golden brown hair flowed perfectly and almost glowed in the office light. The woman was stunning, Henry couldn't look away. This was it. This was love at first sight. The two women hugged awkwardly. "You look good." Emma understated.

"Who's this?" The fancy doctor asked about the doe eyed boy.

"My son, Henry." She pulled him closer. "Henry this is Dr. Maura Isles."

"h-hi…" He managed and accepted her hand in greeting. It was so soft. He had to remind himself to let go.

"Henry." Maura smiled. "What a lovely name. It stems from the Germanic name Heimirich, meaning 'home ruler'. It later changed to Henri in France, from the Latin Henricus. Interestingly, the name was used by eight kings in England, and ended with Henry the eighth in the 16th century."

"…cool." Henry didn't hear a word she said, but he liked it when she talked.

"Didn't he kill all his wives?" Emma asked.

Maura drew her attention back to the blonde. "Only two."

"oh...well that's okay then." She said sarcastically.

Doctor Isles looked at Emma as if she were the weird one.

"Anyway…How have you been? Is Jane around?"

"I'm afraid not." She frowned. "She jumped off a bridge."

"Oh god!" Emma gasped. "Maura, I'm so sorry."

"Oh no, she's fine!" The good doctor clarified. "She did it to save someone else. She's on suspended leave until she's cleared by a phycologist. It's been a rough few months."

The relieved blonde brought a hand to her fast beating heart. "You should probably lead with that next time."

"Yes, I see how it could be misinterpreted. I do apologize."

Emma pulled an envelope with the DNA samples from her jacket. "This is what I was telling you about. Is it enough?"

Maura took it and examined the contents. "It should be. What did you say this was regarding?"

"Uuh" Emma was still slow in the excuses department.

"We're trying to find out if my mom has a daughter." Henry went with the truth.

Maura stared at them in confusion.

"My other mom."

It didn't end the confusion, but it did add surprise.

"Long story." Emma avoided that line of questioning. "We're not sure they're even related, but if you could find out I'd really owe you one. She's supposed to be adopted soon, but that can't happen until we know for sure."

Henry pulled his eyes away from the doctor to furrow his brow at his mom. The adoption was news to him.

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The diner stilled briefly when the bell above the door rang to signal Sarahbella and Regina's arrival. The mayor glared at the wary patrons, but the little brunette paid no mind.

"Ruby!" Sarah ran in smiling. Ruby met her half way in the middle of the diner. "Me and Gina make this for you." She held up the red wolf drawing with the special message. "So you remember."

"Oh Sarah," Ruby took it in both hands and smiled fondly. "Where have you been all my life?"

Sarahbella tilted her head like a confused puppy.

"It's perfect, thank you." She knelt down to wrap Sarah in a hug. "We should show Granny!"

They both looked back at Regina for permission. When she nodded they hurried off to the back room hand in hand.

Regina took a seat in an empty both to wait for the return of her temporary ward, and the waitress who was supposed to take their orders.

"Excuse me, Mayor Mills?" Whale approached her. "Could I have a minute of your time?"

Regina was instantly suspicious. He hadn't been polite to her since before the curse broke. She sort of missed seeing him cower in fear in her presence. "If you must."

He cleared his throat nervously and took a seat across from her. "I understand Mother Superior is on track to gain custody of the child."

She rolled her eyes. "You're mistaken."

"I hoped so, I…" He tugged his tie away from his throat.

"Out with it."

"If custody is being disputed I'd like a chance to argue for guardianship." He eventually scraped up the courage to look her in the eye. "I could be a great dad. Kids deserve to have that right? Not some scary nuns."

"There is no dispute. Her family situation will be resolved come Monday."

"You know who her family is?" He asked surprised.

"I don't see how that is any of your business."

He frowned and moved to get up.

"Victor." Regina stopped him before he walked away. "If…you really are interested in becoming a father, you do have options. The world is filled with children in need of a good home."

"Yeah…yeah." He nodded, but he didn't really seem to be listening. "Okay." He made his way to the front of the diner to leave, but paused and took a look back when he heard Sarah's voice. He watched her intensely as she and Ruby emerged from the kitchen. He didn't even notice Regina watching him right back.

…

The other kids wouldn't play with Sarahbella at the park. It was more a matter of the adults not allowing them to, than the kids not wanting to. Regina gave the stink eye to the latest parent to call their kids away. They had been there less than twenty minutes and the park was becoming cleared out.

The little brunette's smile lessened. She didn't understand why everyone kept leaving.

Regina's heart ached when Sarah hung her head and started walking back to her. It frustrated her to know end to see her look so defeated. Regina would gladly reclaim the tittle of Evil Queen to teach the fools a lesson.

A blonde girl with a foam sword ran up to her and intercepted her path to Regina. "Hi." She smiled. She couldn't have been much older than Sarahbella. "Do you want to play princess with me?"

"I don't know…" Sarah was apprehensive.

"You can be the princess." The blonde said with enough enthusiasm that could have convinced even Regina. "And I'll save you!" She thrust her mighty foam sword in the air.

Sarah's smile came back. Regina wasn't going to let anyone take it away again. She looked around for the parents of the little blonde and found Ashley Boyd and Sean Herman smiling and waving at her awkwardly; Cinderella and Prince Thomas. Alexandra, Regina remembered, was their child.

Regina glanced around to make sure it was for her. It seemed the two were decent people and weren't making a move to drag Alex away. The young couple's smiles grew sincere when Regina gave a half-wave back.

Sarah gave Alex a chance and climbed the playground to wait to be rescued.

Alex was quite the actress, twirling and spinning as she battled invisible monsters with her foam sword and made her way towards Sarah. The little brunette smiled wide at the little blonde's dramatics.

"Oh no there's too many!" Alex shouted.

Sarah gasped. "I save you!" She came down from the playground and raised her hands in the air. "I have magic!"

Regina stiffened, but readied herself to stop whatever came next.

But all that followed the hand movements were the sound effects that left Sarah's mouth.

Everything was fine. They went on playing.

Sarah's pretend magic fought back the hoard enough to get to Alex. They both cheered when they finally reached each other and fought more invisible foes side by side.

They seemed to be winning until they both collapsed onto the ground and pretended to be dead…undead…they were zombies now.

Regina was suddenly concerned with what type of things Emma let her watch.

Sarah was playing happily with her new friend, so the mayor let herself relax enough to find a place to sit.

As she made her way to an empty bench she heard a woman sniffle. Aurora sat nearby looking with tears running down her face as she looked into a stroller.

She tried to fight it, she tried to walk away, but her legs betrayed her and went the opposite direction towards the crying princess. Regina rolled her eyes at herself. The Charming's hard corrupted her with goodness. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Are you talking to me?" The young woman looked up. Her eyes were puffy and so filled with misery.

"Or the little one, whoever is capable of answering." The mayor said plainly.

"Do you really want to know?" The hope was apparent.

Regina really wanted to walk away. She could just turn around, take Sarah home and pretend nothing happened.

She sat down on the bench to listen.

"I'm a terrible mother." Aurora put a hand inside the stroller to touch her son's chest. "I can't keep him safe."

The baby boy was tucked away inside with a blanket to keep him cozy. His tiny chubby hands poked out to hold on to his mother's fingers. "He looks safe to me."

"Now…I'm going to mess it up again." Her lip trembled. "I already lost Philip once, and now Mulan won't talk to me. I don't even know what I did. What if I lose him too?"

Regina was at a loss for words. She wasn't good at losing people either. She might be the last possible person who should be trying to console this woman. "He seems happy." She said the only thing she knew for sure.

"He's such a brave boy." The princess smiled sadly with more than just a mother's anxiety.

"I'm sorry," Regina was confused. "Did something happen?"

"I was turned into a monkey when I was pregnant with him."

"That was hardly your fault."

"And now with all this testing…he just can't get a break…and he doesn't' even cry anymore."

"Testing?"

Aurora picked up her baby boy and sat him in her lap. She painstakingly took off his little sweater to reveal his bruised and punctured arms.

"What did this?" Regina demanded.

"The Doctor. He said it's the only way to be sure Junior will be okay."

"Which Doctor?"

"Doctor Whale."

The slime ball was up to no good again. Regina should have trusted her instincts. The man was lying to the poor woman and was far too interested in Sarahbella. The mayor had to find out why.

But first…

She took the baby's hands in her own and let the light magic flow through. The marks slowly faded until they were completely gone and Junior smiled toothlessly.

Aurora gasped and held her son close. "Thank you." Grateful tears formed in her eyes to wash away the ones of sorrow.

* * *

**a/n sorry to any non-fans of rizzoli and isles. i just needed another doctor and i couldn't help myself :p**


	10. Chapter 10

Regina strutted down the hall of the hospital like she owned the place. The people were smart enough to get out of her way. Doctor Whale was nowhere in sight so she went straight for his office.

The office was neat. A pile of current patient files sat on his desk. Regina read through the names, but none of them were of interest. She moved on to the metal cabinet in search of Junior's file. It would have been easier if she knew his surname. It took a little extra effort, but she found it.

There were no indications that warranted further testing. The file said he was perfectly healthy and developing normally.

She put the file back to begin her search for Sarahbella's. She encountered the same problem of not knowing what the hospital filed her under. She thought for a moment and it came to her. She found it right next to Emma's under 'Swan'. She paused to admire the name, finding she liked the way it fit.

The file read similar to Junior's, with nothing out of the ordinary.

She put the file back and slammed the drawer shut, growing frustrated. Junior and Sarah were her only leads. She didn't know what else to look for. She did know Whale was hiding something, and she wouldn't leave until she found it.

She opened and closed every drawer looking for anything that stood out. When that came up fruitless, she moved on to his computer. Her first guess for his password was Frankenstein, lo and behold she got in.

There was just more useless information; legitimate doctor work. She slammed her fist on the desk. A pile of papers fell over, and two of the desk's drawers slid open. She closed them and stared curiously at the last drawer that hadn't open. It had a built in lock, and didn't budge when she pulled on it.

That wasn't an obstacle. With a wave of her hand the lock turned and the drawer slid open, revealing more files.

There were five thin folders in total. She put them on the desk to investigate further. Each belonged to a different patient, Junior, Sarahbella, Alexandra, Baby Neal, and Emma.

The documents were mostly blood tests with illegible annotations. The parents were listed for each, and even contained blood tests for them. Only Sarah's file lacked that aspect. The space where her parents should have been listed remained blank.

What really stuck out to the mayor was Emma's high cholesterol, and a report of unknown antibodies that all five shared. Whale seemed to have looked for the antibodies in the parents, but the results had come back negative.

Regina found the information she was looking for, but had no idea what it meant, only that Whale's interest stemmed further than just Sarahbella and Junior.

She gathered up the folders and went off in search of the dirtbag she needed to interrogate.

"Whale, where is he?" She asked the nurse at the reception desk.

"With a patient." The nurse pointed to an examination room.

That patient, Regina discovered when she burst through the door, was Hook, and they were playing an entirely different type of doctor.

"Regina!" Whale shrieked. He pushed away from Hook who was sitting on the exam room table. His hands fumbled to button up his shirt.

"Come to join us, love?" Hook asked with a smile that he might have thought was charming. It sent a disgusted shiver through the mayor.

"Out." She ordered the pirate.

He sighed, but hopped off the table. "Would you mind keeping this between us?" He asked Regina. "I haven't had a chance to tell Swan I've moved on. She's going to be devastated."

Regina suspected he might be overreaching, but that wasn't of her concern. "Be gone."

"Come find me if you survive." He called back to Whale on his way out.

With Hook out of the way the mayor focused all her irritation on the doctor. She took threatening steps to invade his personal space. "Start talking."

"I met him in a bar! We've been seeing each other for months, and-"

"Please," She scoffed. "I'm not you're mother. I don't care about your horrible taste in men." She shoved the files into his chest. "Explain these." She backed away to give him enough space to look at them.

"I have a theory." Whale tried to rationalize with the ever angry mayor. "Look…" He put down the files on the exam table and opened them all up to the pages with parent information. "Excluding Sarahbella, do you see what they all have in common?"

"Parents?" She rolled her eyes. "How unique."

"Yes, but don't you see what their parents have?" He waited a beat before answering for her. "Love!"

"Love?"

"True Love!" His excitement grew. "These four where born of True Love, and I can say with almost certainty that Sarahbella must have been convinced the same way, with powerful, unyielding love. That's where the antibodies must come from." He hurried to turn all the pages to the information about the antibodies.

Surprise registered on Regina's face before she could stop it. "What do they do?"

"I don't know." Whale's face lit up with undeterred glee, "I've never seen anything like it. Isn't that amazing?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"For science." He said firmly.

Regina was applauded. "The same science that turned your brother, and the love of my life into monsters?"

It was a touchy subject for both of them. They took a pause to fortify themselves. "This is different, purely theoretical. "

"There is nothing theoretical about the marks you left on Junior's arms, or the anguish you put his mother through."

"She was the only one I could convince to come in regularly for fresh samples." He looked remorseful, but Regina couldn't be sure if it was for their suffering or for his research. "The antibodies, they don't exist anywhere else but in these five beings. If you would just allow me to run more tests on Sarahbella and-"

Regina forcefully pushed him up against the wall. His head bounced against a framed picture and broke the glass. It further shattered when it fell and hit the ground. "You're out of your mind if you think, for a second, you're going anywhere near her. This ends now."

He gulped, but fought to keep his cool. "You have to be at least a little bit curious. You are all always going on about how magnificent and powerful True Love is. Think of what we could discover!"

"At what cost!?" Regina yelled to get through to him. "Somehow I don't think you'd be satisfied with just blood samples. How far would you go Whale? How many of them would you be willing to sacrifice!?"

When Whale didn't respond, Regina had her answer.

The mayor swore to herself, for as long as she lived the true love babies would never be exploited. "They're people. Not your play things." She let him go and gathered up the files to take with her. "If you try this again, I swear there will be nothing left of your body to find. Stay the hell away from the children." She turned back half way out the door. "That includes Emma." She flicked her wrist and the door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

Regina stared at the empty holder where her toothbrush was supposed to be. She had already scrubbed her make-up away and changed into pajamas to get ready for bed, but her toothbrush was nowhere to be seen.

Her phone buzzed on the marble countertop. Emma's old mug shot appeared on the screen indicating a phone call. The mayor took a second to admire Emma's grumpy face before answering.

"Sheriff Swan, just the woman I need."

In New York, Emma was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the mayor's declaration. "How can I be of service?" She said with a lopsided grin.

"It seems my toothbrush has gone missing."

The sheriff's face straightened and she did her best to keep the guilt from showing in her voice. "That's not really police business, ma'am."

Regina rolled her eyes as she dug through a drawer for a new toothbrush. "I just don't know where it could have gone."

Emma swallowed hard, not exactly proud of what she was going to say next. "Maybe Henry took it."

Regina shouldered the phone to be able to free her toothbrush from the package. "What on earth would he want with it?"

"Well his shoes were looking pretty clean."

She sighed as she put toothpaste on the toothbrush. "That boy…where is he?"

"He knocked out a few hours ago. I think he under estimated how exhausting packing is."

"Yes, well, he's never actually had to do it before."

Emma listened as she heard a familiar sound on the other end. "Are you brushing your teeth?"

Regina removed the toothbrush to answer. "If it offends you so much, try calling at a more reasonable hour." She went back to brushing.

Emma didn't know when Regina had become so comfortable with her, but she would be damned if she ever let them go back. It was hard to imagine the mayor wasn't always perfectly put together, ready to seize the day, and anyone in her way. Emma had to wonder…"What are you wearing?"

Regina's brushing stopped again, and Emma's eyes grew wide.

"I don't mean that in a creepy way…just in a… 'I wonder what the mayor wears to bed' way." Somehow that didn't make it any better. "I'm just going to stop talking now."

"You say the sweetest things."

They stayed in comfortable silence until Regina finished in the bathroom and climbed into her bed.

"So how was your day?" Emma hoped her words would stop betraying her.

"Eventful."

"Do I even want to know?"

"I assaulted Whale."

"Regina…"

"And I may have implied I would murder him."

"Seriously? I haven't even been gone a full day." Emma sighed. "What did he do?"

"That's your question?" The mayor asked surprised.

"That, and did he learn his lesson?"

Regina's free hand wandered up to her hair, where it found a lock to twirl around a finger as a smile spread across her face. It was nice to be trusted.

"Regina?"

She shook herself out of it, glad no one was around to witness her slip. "He was researching children born of True Love. It was mostly just blood testing, and Aurora's son took the brunt of it."

"That son of a bitch. That's why he kept bugging me about going in for a checkup."

"Did he ask you about Sarah?"

"Yeah…what does Sarah have to do with this?"

"In his testing, he discovered specific antibodies that only exist in products of true love. Sarah has them."

Emma sat up from her place on the floor surrounded by boxes. "But that means…"

"Yes, Sarah is a product of True Love."

"But...How?"

"Are you asking me to explain where babies come from?"

Emma rolled her eyes. She brought her knees up to rest an elbow on while she buried her free hand in her hair. "Then why does she have dark magic?"

"Because she was taught."

"So she has light and dark magic?" The DNA test was just a formality at this point. "Just like you…" Emma didn't need any more convincing.

"Not quite." Regina laughed it off. "She's more like you in the sense of being naturally good."

The self-deprecation was not lost on the sheriff. "You are good, Regina. I know that, everyone who really sees you knows that."

The brunette looked at her thriving bouquet of roses on her nightstand. Her fondness for the sheriff was becoming harder to ignore. The special idoit's asinine, incessant kindness and affection was going to be the end of them both. She looked away from the flowers and got back to the matter at hand. "As much as I loath to admit, Whale's research has given us the most insight we have about Sarah. What I can't fathom is what could have happened to her parents. If they are anything like yours, they should be running around town screaming 'I will find you'."

Emma would pay money to see Regina yell those words. "Maybe she's right where she's supposed to be." She said softly. "So Whale won't be a problem then?"

"No. I think I made it abundantly clear-"

"I'm going to need you to stop right there for reasons of plausible deniability."

Regina chuckled. "As you wish."

"How's Sarah?"

"She made a new friend today." Regina smiled. They laughed together as Regina told the tale of Sarahbella and Alexandra's adventures. Even when the girls turned into zombies and Emma should have been in trouble the laughter continued until the stories ended and Regina's tone turned gentle. "Emma…When are you coming home?"

"I don't know yet." She told her honestly. An evil grin grew when she saw an opportunity. "Miss me already?" Emma could almost feel Regina's eyes roll through the phone. "If you say yes I'll pack faster." She teased.

"Goodnight Miss Swan."

"Goodnight Regina."

Not a minute later, Emma's phone chimed with a new text message from the mayor. "Maybe." It gave Emma another reason to grin and another horrible idea.

Regina's phone buzzed in her hand with the response. She received a picture of a tired and confused Henry sitting in a box with his limbs hanging out. She didn't want to laugh at her son's expense, but she couldn't help the amused chuckle that escaped her.

* * *

"Wait here." Emma told Henry as she unbuckled her seatbelt in the truck. They were parked in the Boston PD parking lot. It was there last stop on the way back home.

"But I want to know too." Henry whined.

"And you will, just later."

Henry moved on to groaning. "Why can't I come?"

"You have to guard the truck." She gestured to their tarp covered belongings in the back. "Operation…Guard the truck."

"You're terrible at this."

"Whatever, Operation Maybe Baby." She ruffled his hair before finally stepping out. She leaned in through the open window. "I'll be ten minutes, tops."

"You know we're at a police station, right?" He leaned closer to her. "The truck doesn't need guarding."

"Oh yeah?" She pointed in the general direction out the passenger window. "Then what's that?" She hurried away as soon as his back was turned.

"Tell Dr. Isles I said hi!" He called after his unreasonable mother.

…

Maura was late. Emma never liked when Maura was late. It always meant something horrible happened that would break and change someone's life forever.

And here Emma was, fretting over what might be.

She didn't know what answer she wanted the results to say anymore. The insecurities had been eating away at her since the revelations of Sarah's existence. Her heart and her brain were at war. Logically she knew being born of True Love could only be a good thing, but her heart physically ached with the thought that Regina could love somebody so much, somebody else that wasn't-

At least she could rest easy knowing there was no chance of it being Robin, unless there was more time travel magic crap involved.

Emma decided she hated magic, while she resisted the urge to bang her head against the table in the Boston PD café.

The chair next to her was pulled out and Maura slid onto it. "Sorry I'm late." She set a manila folder in front of Emma. "Are you alright?" The doctor asked when Emma only frowned down at it.

The blonde looked up at her friend. "What does it say?"

Maura smiled brightly. "I know you said you weren't sure if they shared familial DNA, but I started with a parental test just as an elimination tactic. Henry's other mother, is in fact, biologically related to the child. The results yielded a probability of parentage at 99.99%."

Emma rested her elbows on the table to bury her face in her hands.

Dr. Isles was confused. "Is that not the result you were hoping for?"

Emma didn't respond.

"Is she not a fit mother?"

Emma snapped out of it. "She's a great mother. It just…It complicates things."

"You were meant to adopt her?"

Emma nodded. "I just don't know where this leaves me."

"You already share one child with her, why is this different?"

"Regina adopted Henry when he was a baby. We only share now because..."

"Henry is your biological son?" The always too smart doctor worked it out.

Emma nodded guiltily. "I had him when I was in prison."

Maura stared at her, before finally just shaking her head. "I don't know why I'm surprised. I never really knew you, did I?"

"I'm sorry." It was the millionth sorry she had given this woman, but a part of her felt like she owed her a million more.

Maura sighed. "One thing I do know about you, is you make things harder than they have to be. Just tell her the truth about how you feel, and what you want."

"What if what I want is impossible?"

The doctor smiled knowing just one more thing about the blonde. "Then I'm sure it's exactly what you'll get."

* * *

Emma gripped the manila folder and stood outside on the mansion's porch. Henry had gone inside fifteen minutes ago, but Emma couldn't get herself to move. She knew there was no more waiting. Regina needed to know, and as soon as Emma saw her she was going to tell.

The door opened and the mayor raised an eyebrow at the nervous blonde. "Are you going to stand there all day?"

Emma lifted her arm to hand Regina the papers.

She took them hesitantly. "What's this?" She didn't have to flip through it far to discover it was the results of a DNA test. "I don't understand."

Emma held her breath just to buy an extra second before their lives changed forever.

Regina looked at her with such worry until Emma couldn't take it anymore.

"It's Sarah…She's your daughter."

* * *

**a/n fun fact: i rewrote a big portion of this just to get emma to ask regina what she was wearing.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n I just want to say thank you to everyone for the continued support. You are all so incredibly kind and magnificent. If I wasn't such a coward I would thank you all personally, but well...I'm a chicken. A chicken with a computer, so here's this chapter :)**

* * *

The mayor didn't react. She just stood there staring, as if Emma had started speaking in a made up language.

"Did you hear me?" The sheriff tried again. "She's your daughter, Regina."

Something shifted in the mayor. An angry guardedness came back that Emma had gotten used to not seeing. She looked at the sheriff as if they had reverted into their old roles, and Emma had just crashed in to uproot her world all over again. "This isn't funny."

"It's not a joke."

"I think I would know if I had a daughter." She sneered. "Or at the very least I would remember being with child, which, if you don't know, is impossible."

"I don't know the how. I just know the test says she's yours."

"Then it's lying." She snapped. "Or you're lying."

Emma was taken aback. "Why would I lie?"

"Why does your family do anything, Miss Swan? To hurt me."

Emma's face fell. "You don't really believe that do you?"

Regina stared at the sheriff before finally answering. "No." Her stone face gave way to tears threating to spill out. "I don't think your family even gives me a second thought. Hurting me is just always a happy accident."

Emma frowned. Regina's walls were up so high there was no way she was getting through. She had to disarm her. She had to make her see she never wanted to see her hurt again, let alone be the cause of it. "She has your smile."

"What?"

"Sarah. That's what made me see, and gave me the idea for the maternity test. I mean…A part of me knew she kind of looks like you, but then I saw you two smiling at each other, and it was the exact same smile." She stuck a hand in her hair as she thought. "Now it's all I can see. I don't know why I ever denied it. She's brave, and smart, and strong, and beautiful, just like you. Just like her mother. God Regina…even just thinking about it, it's…breathtaking."

The mayor raised an eyebrow. "Remind me to issue random drug tests to the Sheriff's Department."

"I'm being serious, Regina!"

Regina held an arm across her stomach as she let her walls evaporate. "She's my daughter?"

"Yes." Emma smiled when she finally got through.

"You're sure?"

"Yes!" Emma threw her arms up.

"Okay..."

They moved their conversation into Regina's den where they had access to much needed alcohol. They sat across from each other like they did on the first day Emma came to Storybrooke, which now felt like a life time ago to both of them.

Emma took a long sip hoping the burn in her throat would help her muster up some courage. She put her glass down on the coffee table between them and tried to rid the sweat on her palms by rubbing them against her denim covered thighs.

"I'd like to stay in her life." Emma jumped in head first. "I mean, she should live with you obviously. You both deserve the chance to get to know each other better, to be mother and daughter, and be a real family. But…"

Regina put her glass down and continued for the blonde. "But you love her, the way you love Henry."

Emma could only nod.

"You want to share two children with the Evil Queen, Miss Swan?"

"No." Emma found her voice again. "I want to share them with _you_. The woman who loves her son with everything she has, the woman who has suffered so much and has every right to be angry, but was willing to change, and has changed to be better for him. The woman who would cross whole worlds and do whatever it takes to make sure he is safe, and then go above and beyond to make sure he is happy. And on top of that, you're the woman I know I can call to come help me save the world when it inevitably turns to shit."

"Eloquent, dear."

Emma sighed and shook her head. "What I'm trying to say is, you're a fantastic mother and I think we make a pretty good team. Henry doesn't seem too traumatized by us co-parenting him." Emma's eyes widen. "Not that I'm saying I have any right to co-parent Sarah. I just…I want to be around, you know? Maybe she could stay with me sometimes when Henry comes over, or if that's too much maybe I could babysit when you have a meeting or something."

Emma panicked a little when Regina didn't say anything and picked up her glass to gulp down the rest of her drink.

"I mean, I know I'm busy too with sheriff stuff, but I'll make time. I'll-"

"Emma," Regina held up a hand to stop her. "I think I understand, and of course I wouldn't keep her from you, but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves." She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "Even if I accept the test says she is my daughter, I don't understand how that is possible."

"You really can't have kids?"

"No."

"Did you knock anyone up in the last 3 to 4 years?" Emma joked.

Regina's brow furrowed in concentration. "No. Magic wasn't in this land yet, it would have been impossible."

"What!?" Emma almost screamed.

"What?"

"You can knock up women with magic!?"

"If circumstances align, yes."

"Wait…" Emma came to a realization. "You've been with women!?"

"Not the point Miss Swan. Please stop yelling."

Emma took a breath to compose herself, to get her mind back on track. She gulped in preparation for the next topic of discussion. "Whale's research…" She couldn't finish.

"True Love…" Regina said thoughtfully.

"It transcends realms and breaks curses, right? Maybe you didn't need regular magic to make a true love baby."

"No." Regina shook her head. "Even if that were the case, Sarah isn't from Stroybrooke, if you recall. She couldn't have been conceived here and then grown up in the Enchanted Forest."

"Okay..." Emma thought for a moment. "Did you have true love with anyone over there?"

The mayor averted her eyes and picked at invisible lint on her skirt. She did not want to go down this path of questioning.

"What about Daniel? You loved him more than anything. He could be Sarah's dad."

Regina had to close her eyes at hearing those words. "Don't." She barely whispered.

"How perfect would that be? To share a kid with the man you loved, and lost too soon…But your love lives on in her."

"Stop it." Regina snapped and suddenly stood. "Yes, I would love that. I would love to have anything of him just to prove to myself that he ever even existed, that what we had was real. I wasted my last piece of him trying to get rid of you. He isn't Sarah's father. He's been dead for too long. He's been dead longer than even you've been alive. No amount of magic or even the truest of loves can trump death. I learned that the hard way. I will not sit here a let you fill me with hope just to have it ripped away again." Tears ran down her cheeks. "She can't be my daughter, Emma. She can't be his."

Slowly, Emma got to her feet to join the mayor on her side of the coffee table. She reached out and wiped away a tear with her thumb. "Except she is." She told her softly. "We can do a hundred more tests and they will all tell you the same thing. I don't know about Daniel, but I can promise you, Regina, she's your little girl."

…

Emma dragged the doubtful mayor into the living room where the kids were playing with Henry's box of action figures that he had insisted had to ride in cab of the truck with them. He looked up and grinned at his mothers as they came in.

Regina leaned closer to Emma to whisper. "I assume he knows."

Emma looked at her seriously. "Have you met our son?" She whispered back. "He knows everything."

Sarah remained enthralled by the miniature plastic super heroes. She took the Thor action figure from Henry when he handed it to her. She studied it for a moment before she smiled and began a fit of giggles.

"What's so funny?" Henry asked.

She held the action figure out to show him. "It's Emma!"

"Hey" Emma protested.

Sarah gasped when she looked up and saw the women, but her eyes shifted between Thor and Emma and her giggling restarted. Emma pouted when Henry started laughing too.

Regina focused on the little girl. If Sarahbella was her daughter she couldn't fathom where that giggle came from, but she could see other qualities they shared, like their penchant for laughing at Emma's expense. She really had no choice, but to believe the sheriff. It was one of the draw backs of coming to trust her so fully. The secretly mischievous, brown haired girl was her daughter.

Daniel had brown hair. She didn't even have to look into Sarah's eyes to know that they were blue just like his. They were even a similar shade. No…They were the exact same shade, but something was different. They couldn't be his eyes. There was something missing in Sarah's that she saw when she remembered his.

She had to give in and let herself look.

It all came rushing back, how his blue eyes shinned when he laughed, and when he smiled. She had forgotten what he looked like when he was so full of life, before her mother had stuck her hand in his chest and ripped it away. For so long, the pain in his eyes was all she could see when she thought of him. It was the driving force on her darkest days as the Evil Queen. She was so focused on avenging the darkness in his eyes, she had blocked out the light.

She remembered now, how his eyes twinkled when he showed her he loved her. It was the same twinkle she often saw in Sarah's. It was the exact same love she remembered in his, staring back at her now.

Sarah had her father's eyes.

Regina's knees buckled under her. If not for Emma's fast reflexes she would have fallen. The mayor stayed limp while Emma struggled to get her to stand.

"Mom?" Henry asked worried.

"Regina?" Emma couldn't get her to respond. The mayor just stayed limp at stared in Sarahbella's direction as Emma held her against herself. "Regina!"

The mayor finally blinked as the jelly drained from her legs and she regained function. She took heavy breaths before she finally pushed herself away from the sheriff.

She took careful steps to her little girl and kneeled down in front of her.

Sarah reached up and wiped a tear away from Regina's cheek. "Don't be sad." She reached into the box and pulled out a Wonder Woman action figure. "You're this one."

Regina accepted the offered toy and immediately wrapped her arms around her daughter. She placed a multitude of kisses into her hair, while Sarah did her best to return the desperate embrace. "I love you so much."

"Love you too." Sarah's voice was muffled in Regina's chest, but nothing would ever stop her from returning the sentiment.

* * *

Regina left the kids in Emma's care promising to not be gone long. They still had much to discuss, but there was a more pressing conversation Regina had to have before she could do anything else.

She took the familiar path to the graves of the people in her life who never stood a chance. She reached the headstone of the pieces of her sister, and the headstone of the man who wasn't really there. There hadn't been anything left of him to bury. She just needed something to feel close to him, anything to let her pretend he wasn't thoroughly and completely gone.

She stood in front of his headstone and stared at his name for a long while. All this time she thought all she had left of him was his name engraved in marble, but for one moment the universe had finally stopped kicking her and gave her the most precious gift she would have never thought to ask for.

"We have a daughter." She fought back the sob that wanted to start again. "I never thought I would get to say those words to you…I never even dared to dream we could have this. I don't even know how it's possible, but I see it now. I see it now and I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner. I spent so much of my life going over our last moments together, and being angry. I was so focused on losing you that I forgot what it was like to actually have you. I won't forget again. I'll look at her and I'll see you. I'll feel the love you gave me instead of the pain I was left with when you were taken.

"Her name is Sarahbella…Daniel's she's amazing, and so kind. I wish…" She shook her head. She didn't wish, wishing was for fools. "I'm going to figure out where she came from, I'm going to get answers for both of us. I promise you, I will take good care of her and love her the way she deserves to be loved. I have Henry and Emma to help me show her how special she is. Remember I told you about Emma?" She sighed. "The buffoon has been terribly wonderful."

...

By the time Regina pulled into the driveway Emma had finished moving in Henry's boxes and was busy reapplying the tarp. The mayor came back down the walk way and joined Emma at the truck where she leaned with her back against the side.

"You okay?" Emma asked.

"No." Regina stared back at the house.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Regina moved her head to look at the blonde. "But thank you for asking."

"Well I'm here if you change your mind." Emma pressed her lips together. "Or I will be. I'll be back."

The mayor frowned. "Where are you going?"

She patted the tarp. "I have to go unload this. I don't want to be lugging things around in the dark."

"Just stay here."

"What?"

"Move in."

"Into your house?"

"Or the garage, wherever you're suited."

Emma rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I don't know… I wouldn't want to crowd you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You spend more time here than at your parent's apartment anyway. This is where Henry is, and if Sarah is going to be here, then you might as well stay too. And if your powers of perception have yet to pick up on it, but my home is, quite literally, a mansion."

Emma studied Regina for a moment trying to gauge her motivation. "Only if you want me to."

She sighed. "I wouldn't suggest it otherwise."

"…cool." The sheriff smiled feeling wanted.

The mayor peeked under the tarp. "You didn't bring much."

Emma shrugged. "Turns out, sentimental value declines significantly with fake memories. I just kept the essentials: clothes, books, boots, boots…boots…. "

Regina shook her head to hide her amusement. "You can have Tink's old room."

"She moved out?" The blonde asked surprised.

"A week ago, she just comes here to babysit. Honestly Emma, pay attention."

Emma shrugged the new development away, and stretched out her neck and shoulders in preparation to move more boxes.

Regina waved her hand. The boxes disappeared and left behind a neatly folded tarp in the bed of the truck.

Emma's eyes bulged. "You mean I could have just waited for you to do all the heavy lifting?"

"No, you could do with a bit of exercise."

Emma put her hands on her hips, offended. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you won't be young forever, you need to start taking better care of yourself."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Regina narrowed her eyes. "I'm done being nice to you."

"That was you being nice?"

Regina only had to look at her to tell her she was an idiot.

"Are you ready to tell Sarah?"

The mayor's eyes filled with sudden realized fear. "What if she doesn't want me? What if the town doesn't like it? What if they shun her even more because of me? Emma…what if they try to take her? Maybe it would be better if you just went through with the adoption."

"Hey," Emma took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "First of all, you're insane if you think she doesn't already adore you. The only reason her custody was ever up for debate is because she didn't have any other family, but guess what? You're it. You're her mother. They can't take her, and if they try anything I have a shiny badge and the law I can throw at them. I swear I will arrest this whole town if I have to."

The sheriff was at it again; going to bat for her and making Regina feel things that she didn't want to feel. If Emma kept at it Regina was going to fall madly in love with her. The mayor recognized the signs, and knew from experience there would be no going back.

Emma continued to look at her, and smile with such sincerity and care. It was too much. To Regina's great disdain she was discovering the blonde to be quite irresistible. She perhaps should have considered that before inviting her to move it. She would have to succumb to different tactics.

She poked Emma in the chest. "Stop it."

"Ow" Emma dramatized. She looked on in confusion as her assaulter walked away without any indication of explaining herself.

* * *

Regina stood in the doorway watching her children snuggled up in Henry's bed as he read to Sarahbella.

Emma sneaked up on the mayor and put a hand on the small of her back. She leaned in close to speak softly in her ear. "You should tell her."

Regina sighed, but let herself lean into the touch. "Now?"

"Why wait?" She gave the mayor a small push into the room.

Henry halted his reading to look up at his mothers with a grin. "Is it time?"

"Yup." Emma winked when Regina glared back at her.

Henry got out of the bed. He decided his brunette mother wasn't moving fast enough and push her to it.

Sarahbella had no idea what was happening, but that didn't stop her from form crawling onto Regina's lap as soon as she sat on the bed. "You read now?"

"In a bit, sweetheart. There's something I have to tell you." Regina glanced up at Emma for reassurance.

Emma wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulders and they both smiled back at her.

"Emma found out something about your family."

"Uncle?"

Regina shook her head softly. "Your parents."

Sarah just looked up at her patiently with all the love in the world.

"I'm your mother." Regina swallowed her nervousness. "I don't know where you came from, but if I had known you existed I would have done anything to find you sooner. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you were a baby, but I'm here now and I won't ever let you get lost again."

The little girl's expression grew confused as her young brain tried to process what was just said to her. "…mommy?"

Regina nodded.

"Mommy!" Sarah wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. They hugged like they hadn't seen each other in years. Regina's eyes watered with unrestrained glee. Sarah finally let go to smile back at Henry. "Henny!"

"Hey little sister." He grinned.

Sarah gasped. She looked back at Regina for answers, who nodded again. "He's your brother."

Sarah gasped again, and kept gasping as she moved her head to look between the two Mills repeatedly. Her head cocked when her routine changed and she stared at the blonde. "Is Emma mommy too?"

"Oh Sarah" Emma started.

"You have father." Regina cut her off. "He would have loved you, and spoiled you rotten. He isn't here anymore, but I told him about you, and I told him that Emma is going to help me take care of you. I'm sure he knows how much Emma loves you, and wouldn't mind if she was your mommy too." She looked away from Sarah to look Emma in the eye. "If she wants to be."

Emma smiled and had to be reminded by Henry's elbow in her gut to say something. "I would be honored."


End file.
